Primary 3 · Number & Algebra
P3 numbers to 10 000
In P3, numbers grow to 10 000. Your child reads and writes them by place value, compares and orders them, and adds and subtracts them in columns. The hard part is subtraction when the top number has zeros, like 5003 − 1568.
- Taught in
- Term 1
- Syllabus
- 3 skills
- Usual slip
- Flipping the digits
What your child learns in P3 numbers to 10 000
Three skills, each with what it looks like on a worksheet.
See the syllabus wording
- counting in hundreds/thousands
- number notation, representations and place values (thousands, hundreds, tens, ones)
- reading and writing numbers in numerals and in words
- comparing and ordering numbers
- patterns in number sequences
- addition and subtraction algorithms (up to 4 digits)
- mental calculation involving addition and subtraction of two 2-digit numbers
Place value with thousands
Count in hundreds and thousands, and read each digit by its place. 4086 is 4 thousands, 0 hundreds, 8 tens and 6 ones. In words it is four thousand and eighty-six.
| Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
Compare, order and continue
Compare from the left: thousands first, then hundreds. 3412 is greater than 3098, because 4 hundreds is more than 0 hundreds. A number pattern goes up or down by the same amount each time.
| Point | Value |
|---|---|
| 1500 | 1500 |
| 1750 | 1750 |
| 2000 | 2000 |
| 2250 | 2250 |
| 2500 | 2500 |
Add and subtract in columns
Up to 4 digits, starting from the ones. Regroup when a column makes 10 or more, or when the top digit is smaller. Two 2-digit numbers, such as 47 + 36, are added in the head.
Key facts and formulas
- Place valueA digit's place gives its value. A 0 keeps an empty place.the 4 in 4025 →
Thousands Hundreds Tens Ones 4 0 2 5 - Numerals and wordsSay the thousands, then the hundreds, then the rest.
Numeral In words 4305 four thousand, three hundred and five - Compare and orderCompare from the left. The first digit that is different tells which number is greater: 4321 > 4299.
Thousands Hundreds Tens Ones 4 3 2 1 4 2 9 9 - Count on and number patternsFind the step, then keep adding it.next →
Point Value 2700 2700 2800 2800 2900 2900 ? 3000 - Add in columnsAdd the ones first. 10 ones make 1 ten: regroup it into the tens.
- Subtract in columnsSubtract the ones first. Not enough ones? Regroup 1 ten into 10 ones.
- Add in your headSplit 38 into 30 and 8. Add the tens, then the ones.start47+ 30add the tens77+ 8add the ones85
Words to know
- Place value
- What a digit is worth because of its place. In 4086, the 8 is worth 80.
- Regroup
- Change 1 ten into 10 ones, or 1 thousand into 10 hundreds, to work a column.
- Rename
- Another word schools use for regroup.
- Adding back
- Checking a subtraction by adding the answer to the number taken away.
The sentence that costs the mark
Find the value of 5003 − 1568 in columns.
What the working usually does
flip columns5003 − 1568=4565
Takes the smaller digit from the bigger one in every column, so 3 − 8 becomes 8 − 3, and the zeros are left alone. Each column ends in a neat digit, so it looks right.
What the question asked
regroup first5003 − 1568=3435
Regroups from the thousands, through the two zeros, before subtracting. Adding back, 3435 + 1568 = 5003.
Both answers are neat four-digit numbers, so nothing looks careless. The slip happens only where the top digit is smaller, and at the zeros. Always subtract from the top number.
The same P3 numbers to 10 000 question, worked properly
Lah works through it the way she does every question in StudyLah: one step at a time, marking the picture as she goes.
Calculate 2064 − 378.
- Line up 2064 and 378 by place value, ones under ones.
- Ones: 4 is smaller than 8, so do not swap them round. Regroup a ten: the 6 tens become 5, and 4 ones become 14. 14 subtract 8 is 6.
- Tens: 5 is smaller than 7, and the hundreds are 0. So regroup from the thousands, making 15 tens. 15 subtract 7 is 8.
- Hundreds: the 0 is now 9, and 9 subtract 3 is 6. Thousands: the 2 is now 1, and it comes down, so 2064 − 378 = 1686.
- So the difference is 1686.
Every question in StudyLah comes with a walkthrough like this one.
Try it freeThree quick P3 numbers to 10 000 questions
Try them together, then tap to check.
Question 1
6 thousands, 13 hundreds and 8 ones is equal to ___.
Show answer
Answer7308. 13 hundreds is 1 thousand and 3 hundreds, so there are 7 thousands, 3 hundreds, 0 tens and 8 ones.
Question 2
Place the numbers in order from the smallest to the greatest: 5163, 1635, 6315, 3561.
Show answer
Answer1635, 3561, 5163, 6315. Compare the thousands digits first. They are 1, 3, 5 and 6.
Question 3
A farm has 1530 chickens and ducks altogether. 912 of them are chickens. How many more chickens than ducks are there?
Show answer
Answer294. The ducks are 1530 − 912 = 618. Then 912 − 618 = 294 more chickens.
Helping at home
How to tell it has clicked
Give a subtraction with zeros on top, like 4002 − 1745, and watch the zeros. A child who regroups through them has it. One who takes the smaller digit from the bigger in each column has the habit this topic is about.
Ask your child to add the answer back to the number taken away. If it gives the starting number, the regrouping was right.
Try this tonight
You have one $10 note and need to pay $3. Change the note for ten $1 coins, then hand over three. That swap, one ten for ten ones, is regrouping.
When a column has the smaller digit on top, ask out loud: "regroup, or swap?" Saying it stops the reflex to swap the two digits.
Before and after P3 numbers to 10 000
Builds on
Primary 2 Numbers to 1000Reads and writes numbers to 1000
Builds on
Primary 2 Addition and Subtraction within 1000Adds and subtracts within 1000, in two steps
You are here
Primary 3 Numbers to 10 000
Works with numbers up to four digits
Head Start
P3 to P4 Maths: what to revise before P4One of three P3 topics to revise before P4 Term 1
Leads to
Primary 4 Numbers to 100 000Reads each digit by its place value
The methods your child will use here
More in Primary 3
Struggling with the working rather than the topic itself? How to help your child with problem sums
See how your child is doing on this topic
StudyLah marks each step separately, so you can see whether it was the setup or the arithmetic that cost the mark.