Basic Mathematics for College Students

2 Chapter 1 Whole Numbers

SECTION 1.1

An Introduction to the Whole Numbers

Objectives

1 Identify the place value of a

digit in a whole number.

2 Write whole numbers in words

and in standard form.

3 Write a whole number in

expanded form.

4 Compare whole numbers using

inequality symbols.

5 Round whole numbers.

6 Read tables and graphs

involving whole numbers.

The whole numbersare 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and so on. They are used to

answer questions such as How many?, How fast?, and How far?

• The movie Titanicwon 11 Academy Awards.


• The average American adult reads at a rate of 250 to 300 words per minute.


• The driving distance from New York City to Los Angeles is 2,786 miles.
  The set of whole numbersis written using braces { }, as shown below. The three
  dots indicate that the list continues forever—there is no largest whole number. The
  smallest whole number is 0.

The Set of Whole Numbers

{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,...}

1 Identify the place value of a digit in a whole number.

When a whole number is written using the digits0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, it is said to be

in standard form (also calledstandard notation). The position of a digit in a whole

number determines its place value.In the number 325, the 5 is in the ones column, the

2 is in the tens column, and the 3 is in the hundreds column.

Tens column

Hundreds column Ones column

To make large whole numbers easier to read, we use commas to separate their

digits into groups of three, called periods.Each period has a name, such as ones,

thousands, millions, billions,and trillions. The following place-value chartshows the

place value of each digit in the number 2,691,537,557,000, which is read as:

3 2 5



The Language of Mathematics As we move to the left in the chart, the place

value of each column is 10 times greater than the column directly to its right.

This is why we call our number system the base-10 number system.

© Elena Yakusheva, 2009. Used underlicense from Shutterstock.com

In 2007, the federal government
collected a total of
$2,691,537,557,000 in taxes.
(Source: Internal Revenue Service.)

Two trillion, six hundred ninety-one billion, five hundred thirty-seven million, five hundred fifty-seven thousand

Each of the 5’s in 2,691, 5 37, 55 7,000 has a different place value because of its

position. The place value of the red 5 is 5 hundred millions. The place value of the blue

5 is 5 hundred thousands, and the place value of the green 5 is 5 ten thousands.

2695371

Hundred trillionsTen trillionsTrillionsTen billionsBillionsTen millionsMillions

,5000, ,57,

HundredsTensOnes

Thousands

Hundred billionsHundred millionsHundred thousandsTen thous

ands

PERIODS

Trillions Billions Millions Thousands Ones