Welcome to our lesson on whole numbers! Whole numbers are the counting numbers that start from zero. They include zero, one, two, three, four, five, and continue forever. We use whole numbers every day to count things like apples, our age, or points in a game. Let's see how they look on a number line.
Now let's learn about place value. In whole numbers, each digit has a specific place value depending on its position. For example, in the number three thousand four hundred fifty-six, the digit three is in the thousands place and represents three thousand. The digit four is in the hundreds place and represents four hundred. The digit five is in the tens place and represents fifty. And the digit six is in the ones place and represents six. When we add all these values together, we get the complete number.
Let's learn how to compare whole numbers. We use three important symbols for comparison. The greater than symbol means one number is larger than another. The less than symbol means one number is smaller than another. The equal symbol means both numbers are the same. For example, eight is greater than five, three is less than seven, and four equals four. On a number line, numbers to the right are always greater than numbers to the left.
Rounding whole numbers makes them easier to work with. Here are the simple rules for rounding. First, look at the digit to the right of the place you're rounding to. If that digit is five or more, round up. If it's four or less, round down. Let's practice with an example. To round three hundred forty-seven to the nearest ten, we look at the ones digit, which is seven. Since seven is greater than or equal to five, we round up to three hundred fifty.
Let's review what we've learned about whole numbers. Whole numbers start from zero and continue forever. Each digit in a whole number has a specific place value based on its position. We use greater than, less than, and equal symbols to compare whole numbers. Rounding helps us simplify numbers for easier calculations. These fundamental concepts form the foundation for all future mathematics learning.