6 — Reading and Writing Large Numbers

Reading and Writing Large Numbers

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Large numbers are all around us - from the number of people in a city to the cost of building a stadium! The good news is that reading and writing large numbers uses the same place value system you already know, just with bigger numbers. We use commas every three digits to make these numbers easier to read and work with.

Tip

Remember the three forms: Standard form uses digits with commas (like 1,234,567), word form spells everything out (like 'one million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven'), and expanded form shows the value of each digit as addition (like 1,000,000 + 200,000 + 30,000 + 4,000 + 500 + 60 + 7).

Reading and Writing Large Numbers · 1:46

Worked Example

Problem

Write 6,825,491 in word form and expanded form.

Solution

Word form: six million, eight hundred twenty-five thousand, four hundred ninety-one Expanded form: 6,000,000 + 800,000 + 20,000 + 5,000 + 400 + 90 + 1

Explanation

  1. 1Identify each digit's place value. The 6 is in millions, 8 in hundred thousands, 2 in ten thousands, 5 in thousands, 4 in hundreds, 9 in tens, and 1 in ones.
  2. 2For word form, read each group of three digits separately: 'six million' for the first group, 'eight hundred twenty-five thousand' for the middle group, and 'four hundred ninety-one' for the last group.
  3. 3For expanded form, write each digit multiplied by its place value, then add them together.

Worked Example

Problem

Write 'nine million, sixty thousand, four hundred' in standard form.

Solution

9,060,400

Explanation

  1. 1Break down each part by place value groups. 'Nine million' = 9,000,000, 'sixty thousand' = 60,000, and 'four hundred' = 400.
  2. 2Notice there are no ten thousands, so we need a zero in that place.
  3. 3Add the parts together: 9,000,000 + 60,000 + 400 = 9,060,400.
  4. 4Check that commas are placed correctly every three digits from the right.

Question

Write 1,234,567 in word form.

Show Answer
one million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven
Show Solution
  1. 1Break the number into groups of three digits using the commas: 1 | 234 | 567.
  2. 2Read the first group 'one' and add 'million' since it's in the millions place.
  3. 3Read the middle group 'two hundred thirty-four' and add 'thousand' since it's in the thousands place.
  4. 4Read the last group 'five hundred sixty-seven' - no extra word needed since it's in the ones place.
  5. 5Combine all parts with commas between them.

Question

Write 3,500,000 in expanded form.

Show Answer
3,000,000 + 500,000
Show Solution
  1. 1Look at each digit and its place value. The 3 is in the millions place (worth 3,000,000) and the 5 is in the hundred thousands place (worth 500,000).
  2. 2All the other digits are zeros, so they don't add any value.
  3. 3Write only the non-zero parts: 3,000,000 + 500,000. We don't need to write + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 since adding zero doesn't change the value.

Question

Write 'seven million, forty-five thousand, eight hundred three' in standard form.

Show Answer
7,045,803
Show Solution
Solution
  1. 1Break down each part. 'Seven million' = 7,000,000, 'forty-five thousand' = 45,000, and 'eight hundred three' = 803.
  2. 2Notice there are no hundred thousands mentioned, so we need a zero in that place.
  3. 3Add the parts: 7,000,000 + 45,000 + 803 = 7,045,803.
  4. 4Double-check by reading it back: seven million (7), zero hundred thousands (0), forty-five thousand (45), eight hundred three (803).

Question

The distance from New York to London is about 3,470,000 meters. Write this in word form and expanded form.

Show Answer
Word form: three million, four hundred seventy thousand Expanded form: 3,000,000 + 400,000 + 70,000
Show Solution
  1. 1For word form, break into groups: 3 | 470 | 000. The first group is 'three million', the middle group is 'four hundred seventy thousand', and the last group is all zeros so we don't say anything.
  2. 2For expanded form, identify non-zero digits: 3 in millions place = 3,000,000, 4 in hundred thousands = 400,000, and 7 in ten thousands = 70,000.
  3. 3The remaining digits are zeros, so we only write the non-zero parts in our expanded form.

Question

A company's revenue was 8,000,000 + 600,000 + 50,000 + 9,000 + 400 + 20 + 7 dollars. Write this in standard form and word form.

Show Answer
Standard form: 8,659,427 Word form: eight million, six hundred fifty-nine thousand, four hundred twenty-seven
Show Solution
Solution
  1. 1For standard form, add all the parts together: 8,000,000 + 600,000 + 50,000 + 9,000 + 400 + 20 + 7 = 8,659,427.
  2. 2Place commas every three digits from the right to get 8,659,427.
  3. 3For word form, break into groups: 8 | 659 | 427.
  4. 4Read each group: 'eight million' for the first group, 'six hundred fifty-nine thousand' for the middle group, and 'four hundred twenty-seven' for the last group.

Tip

Remember: Commas are your friend! They break large numbers into groups of three digits, making them much easier to read and write. Always work from left to right when reading, and don't forget to include zeros as placeholders when needed.