"Place value is the idea that each digit in a number represents a certain amount, depending on the position that it occupies (quick note: a “digit” is a particular number within a larger number; the “number” refers to the entire group of digits). Thus, a number like 465 has a 4 in the hundreds place, a 6 in the tens place, and a 5 in the ones place. The digit 4, in the hundreds place, does not represent 4 – it represents 400. Understanding this concept will make it easier to add or subtract numbers, as well as use multiplication in the future grades."--Ruth Rumack, http://ruthrumack.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/the-importance-of-place-value/