5th Grade Place Value and Powers of Ten Lesson: Notes and Examples (Free PDF)

Q: What is the difference between 10 to the third power and 3 times 10?

10^{3} means 10\times10\times10=1{,}000. The expression 3\times10 is only 30. The exponent counts the 10s, it is not a multiplier.

5th grade powers of ten lesson – Maths PDF

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This 5th grade powers of ten lesson covers place value and powers of ten (Common Core 5.NBT.A.1, 5.NBT.A.2), with a free PDF to print.

Key takeaway: This lesson helps fifth grade students use place value and powers of ten to read, write, multiply, and divide whole numbers and decimals.

Topic: Place Value and Powers of Ten (5th grade)
Content: One-page lesson with a definition, a worked example and key facts
Standards: 5.NBT.A.1, 5.NBT.A.2
Answers: Explanations included
Format: Free printable PDF, US Letter, black and white

A power of 10 is 10 multiplied by itself, written with an exponent: 10 to the third power is 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000. Each place value is 10 times the place to its right. Multiplying by a power of 10 moves the decimal point right, and dividing moves it left, by the exponent.

This lesson helps fifth grade students use place value and powers of ten to read, write, multiply, and divide whole numbers and decimals. It explains that each place is ten times the place to its right, so multiplying or dividing by ten moves every digit one place.

Students learn exponents for powers of ten, how many zeros each power has, and how to multiply and divide by 10, 100, and 1,000. They also find missing exponents and solve problems about packing and money. Also, plan about 20 minutes. Then, write each number in a place value chart and move the digits as you read.

Grade 5 · Common Core State Standards: 5.NBT.A.1, 5.NBT.A.2

Key facts in this 5th grade powers of ten lesson

Key facts

Each place is 10 times the place to its right and 1/10 of the place to its left.
Next, the exponent of a power of 10 tells how many 10s are multiplied and how many zeros the value has.
Multiplying by a power of 10 moves the decimal point right by the exponent.
Dividing by a power of 10 moves the decimal point left by the exponent.
10 to the third power means 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000, not 3 × 10.

How are place values related?

Each place in our number system is 10 times as much as the place to its right. Each place is also 1/10 as much as the place to its left. This is true for whole numbers and for decimals.

Moving left multiplies by 10. Moving right divides by 10.

Look at the number 550. The 5 in the hundreds place is worth 500. The 5 in the tens place is worth 50. Because \(500=10\times50\), the left 5 is 10 times the right 5.

What is a power of 10?

A power of 10 is 10 multiplied by itself several times. The small raised number is the exponent. It tells how many 10s are multiplied.

Power	Meaning	Value
\(10^{1}\)	\(10\)	10
\(10^{2}\)	\(10\times10\)	100
\(10^{3}\)	\(10\times10\times10\)	1,000
\(10^{4}\)	\(10\times10\times10\times10\)	10,000

The exponent also tells you how many zeros the value has.

10³ = 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000.

What happens when you multiply by a power of 10?

Look at the pattern: \(5\times10=50\), \(5\times10^{2}=500\), \(5\times10^{3}=5{,}000\). Each digit moves to a place that is 10 times larger for every factor of 10. So the decimal point moves right the same number of places as the exponent.

Multiplying by 10² moves the point 2 places right.

What happens when you divide by a power of 10?

Dividing makes each digit move to a place that is 1/10 as large. The decimal point moves left the same number of places as the exponent. For example, \(36\div10^{2}=0.36\).

Dividing by 10² moves the point 2 places left.

How do you multiply 5.6 by 10³?

Read the exponent. It is 3, so the point moves 3 places right.
Start with 5.6. The point is after the 5.
Move one place: 56. You need two more places, so write two zeros: 5,600.
Check: \(5.6\times1{,}000=5{,}600\).

The answer is 5,600.

5th grade powers of ten lesson: questions and answers

How many zeros are in 10 to the fifth power?

There are 5 zeros. The exponent tells how many zeros follow the 1, so \(10^{5}\) is 100,000.

Why does the decimal point move when I multiply by 10?

Multiplying by 10 makes every digit 10 times as large, so each digit moves one place to the left. Because the digits shift, the decimal point looks like it moves one place to the right.

Which way does the decimal point move when I divide by 10?

It moves to the left, one place for each factor of 10. For example, \(4.5\div10=0.45\) and \(4.5\div10^{2}=0.045\).

What is the difference between 10 to the third power and 3 times 10?

\(10^{3}\) means \(10\times10\times10=1{,}000\). The expression \(3\times10\) is only 30. The exponent counts the 10s, it is not a multiplier.

Is a digit in the tenths place larger than the same digit in the hundredths place?

Yes. A digit in the tenths place is worth 10 times as much as the same digit in the hundredths place. In 0.66, the first 6 is \(0.6\) and the second 6 is \(0.06\).

Common mistakes with this 5th grade powers of ten lesson

Students add zeros to a decimal when they multiply by ten. Multiplying by ten moves each digit one place left, so 0.5 becomes 5, not 0.50.
Students move the decimal point the wrong way when they divide. Dividing makes the number smaller, so digits move right.
Students confuse the exponent with the number of zeros plus one. The exponent equals the number of zeros, so 10 to the fourth has four zeros.

How to study this chapter

Use a place value chart and move the digits, not the point. Finally, seeing each digit slide helps you place zeros correctly.
Check whether your answer should be larger or smaller. Also, multiplying by a power of ten makes it larger, and dividing makes it smaller.
Parents can use dollars, dimes, and pennies. Then, ten pennies make a dime and ten dimes make a dollar, which shows powers of ten.

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