Place Values and Numbers From 10 to 1,000,000,000

When we write the number 23, it is very important how we write the numbers. If we write the 2 and 3 backwards, then the number is not 23 anymore, it would be 32. If the numbers are written up and down, nobody will read it as twenty-three. The important concept to be taught here is Place Value.

The soroban works in exactly the same way as our number system. The 1st column that we use is the Ones place. Immediately to the left of that column is the Tens place.

Tens Ones

With this knowledge, the number 23 is shown by placing 2 into the Tens place, and 3 into the Ones place.

If the first column is the Ones place, and the next column is the Tens place, the next column is . . . the Hundreds place.

Billions Millions 1000’s 100’s 10’s 1’s

Very quickly our students experience working with large numbers. In addition to representing these huge numbers on the Soroban, they actively participate in the process of arithmetic by physically moving the beads to develop the proper solution.

Computations of large numbers now have meaning and purpose. Our students understand how the solutions are developed because they control each step in the process. The main goal is to determine the correct solution. However, when the process breaks down, our students must figure out why, and then develop the solution that will yield the desired result. This leads to comprehension of the process that is far more in depth than simply entering numbers into a calculator and getting back some answer.