Thousands Around Us | Maths Grade 4 CBSE

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Six big-number ideas

Every digit has a place and a value. Tap each term to see what it means, with an example.

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A 4-digit number has four places: thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, reading right to left.
The same digit means different amounts in different places — in 2222 each 2 has a different value.
10 ones make a ten, 10 tens make a hundred, and 10 hundreds make a thousand.

Worked example. In the number 5608, what is the value of the 6?

The 6 sits in the hundreds place, so it is worth 600.

Worked example. Write 3074 in expanded form.

3 thousands, 0 hundreds, 7 tens, 4 ones gives 3000 + 70 + 4.

To compare, first count the digits — a 4-digit number is bigger than a 3-digit one.
If both have 4 digits, check the thousands first, then hundreds, then tens.
Use < (less than) and > (greater than): 4500 > 4200 because 5 hundreds beat 2 hundreds.

Worked example. Which is bigger, 6210 or 6190?

Both have 6 thousands. Compare hundreds: 2 hundreds beats 1 hundred, so 6210 > 6190.

Common mix-up: A number is not bigger just because it looks long. Always count the digits first, then compare place by place.

Where you’ll meet it

A school fund of 4250 rupees or the price of a cycle uses 4-digit numbers every day.

The number of people at a fair, or kilometres on a signboard, are big numbers we read with place value.

Library book numbers and pincodes are read digit by digit, exactly like place value.

Check yourself

Ten friendly questions — mostly multiple-choice with one assertion–reason — to check you can read and compare big numbers.

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