The decimal number system is a base 10 system, so the digits of each place can be any number from 0 to 9. Each place value has a name.
For large numbers, digits are separated by commas or spaces into groups of three, called periods. For example,
\[12,340,982\qquad 320\,432\,196\]
Example 1
Name the following number: \(384,341\)
Solution
Three hundred eighty-four thousand, three hundred forty-one.
Example 2
Write out the following number: Twelve million, thirty-eight thousand, two
Solution
\(12,038,002\)
Note there is no and separating periods. The word and is reserved for decimal place values after the ones column.
Example 3
What place value is underlined for the following numbers:
a. \(820,3\underline{3}0,020\) - ten thousands
b. \(\underline{4}032\) - thousands
c. \(1,402,\underline{4}97\) - hundreds
