I have 30 ones, 82 thousands, 4 hundred thousands, 60 tens, and 100 hundreds. What am I?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To solve the riddle:
Step 1: Understand place values
- Ones = 1s place
- Tens = 10s place
- Hundreds = 100s place
- Thousands = 1,000s place
- Hundred thousands = 100,000s place
Step 2: Convert each group to its numerical value
- 30 ones = 30 × 1 = 30
- 60 tens = 60 × 10 = 600
- 100 hundreds = 100 × 100 = 10,000
- 82 thousands = 82 × 1,000 = 82,000
- 4 hundred thousands = 4 × 100,000 = 400,000
Step 3: Add all the values
Now add all the numbers together:
- 400,000
- 82,000
- 10,000
- 600
- 30
= 492,630
Final Answer: 492,630
Explanation
The question challenges your understanding of place value in the base-10 number system. Place value tells us the value of a digit based on its position in a number. For instance, in the number 400,000, the 4 is in the hundred thousands place, so it represents four hundred thousand, not just four.
To find the number being described, we start by interpreting each quantity given:
- 30 ones means 30 units of 1, which is simply 30.
- 60 tens means 60 × 10, or 600.
- 100 hundreds means 100 × 100, which equals 10,000.
- 82 thousands is 82 × 1,000, or 82,000.
- 4 hundred thousands is 4 × 100,000, which is 400,000.
Next, we add all of these values together to form the final number. This step helps you see how different place values contribute to a complete number. Adding:
400,000 + 82,000 = 482,000
482,000 + 10,000 = 492,000
492,000 + 600 = 492,600
492,600 + 30 = 492,630
So, the final number is 492,630. This exercise emphasizes the importance of recognizing and manipulating place values correctly. It also shows how even small numbers like “30 ones” can influence the total when combined with much larger place values. Mastery of this concept is fundamental in understanding how numbers are built, read, and used in calculations.
