---
title: "Place Value × 10 and ÷ 10"
description: "Recognise that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/place-value-10-and-10-mt_EDgw64OmfA
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/place-value-10-and-10-mt_EDgw64OmfA.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

> **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants.
> When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md
> API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md
> Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt
> Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json
> Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`.

# Place Value × 10 and ÷ 10

Recognise that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left

Subject: Mathematics · Area: Number Representation & Place Value · Ages 10 to 11
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/place-value-10-and-10-mt_EDgw64OmfA

## Ready when they can

- Explain that the 4 in 0.04 is 1/10 of the 4 in 0.4
- State that a digit moving one place left is ×10 and one place right is ÷10
- Compare the value of the 6 in 6,000 and in 0.006

## Lesson: Sliding Digits: ×10 Left, ÷10 Right

You already know a digit's value changes when it moves places in a whole number. That same rule keeps going past the ones place, right through the decimal point. Move a digit one place to the left, and it is worth 10 times as much. Move it one place to the right, and it is worth 10 times less.

*(drawing: Each step left is times 10. Each step right is divided by 10. The digit 6 stays 6, only its place changes.)*

**Example.** Look at 0.4. The 4 sits in the tenths place, worth 4 tenths. Now look at 0.04. The 4 sits one place to the right, in the hundredths place. It moved right, so its value divided by 10: 4 tenths divided by 10 is 4 hundredths.

**Tip.** Remember: the decimal point never moves. Digits slide past it, growing ten times bigger to the left and ten times smaller to the right.

**Recap.** A digit's value is always ten times its neighbor one place to the right, and one tenth of its neighbor one place to the left.

## Practice

14 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Thousandths (age 9+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/thousandths-age-9-mt_kdWoAel3Zl)
- [Place Value × 10 Pattern](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/place-value-10-pattern-mt_QqG6IdmTSE)

## Opens up

- [Reading and writing numbers (age 10+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/reading-and-writing-numbers-age-10-mt_Ac7oMWhyPw)
- [Reading and writing numbers to 10,000,000](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/reading-and-writing-numbers-to-10-000-000-mt_Gag_h98jWP)
- [Patterns with Powers of Ten](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/patterns-with-powers-of-ten-mt_HLUqHJ9Y7n)
- [Addition and subtraction strategies (age 10+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/addition-and-subtraction-strategies-age-10-mt_JH_6RpNWjr)