Numeracy

Maths with Mr. Bigger

The Base 10 System

The Base 10 system means we organise collections of items into groups of ten. We are then able to record the number of groups of ten in the ‘tens column’. For example, if we were counting a collection of 56, we would group in tens and record the number of ‘groups of ten’ in the ‘tens’ column, in this case, five. The remaining ones would be recorded in the ones column, in this case six. The numeral that represents this collection would be written as 56. This translates as 5 groups of tens and 6 ones.

In the Base 10 system we use 10 unique symbols, known as digits to represent every number from the extremely large to the infinitesimally small. The digits we use in Base 10 are: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. These digits have different values depending on the column in which they are situated.

If we want to represent a collection of 123 items using the Base 10 system, we once again group in tens. We would find 12 tens and 3 ones. However, the conventions of the Base 10 system state that we cannot record more than 9 units in any one column. Instead, we must group again, this time we group the ‘groups of ten’. In this example, we would gather the 10 tens, forming 1 hundred, and record this quantity in the hundreds column. We would record the 2 remaining tens in the tens column and the 3 ones in the ones column.  This would be represented in the numeral 123.

The website below can be a great starting point if you want to work on the Base 10 system at home. 

Discussions with your student around money can also be a great way to understand the Base 10 system.  https://shelleygrayteaching.com/three-base-ten-activities-to-introduce-place-value/