.

1.  Challenge: write what you know about place value and number systems

2.  Ones and Zero (ones; units)

3.  The Tens Place

4.  Counting to 13­₁₀ in Five Different Number Base Systems

5.  Drawing the “Tens” Place (10¹) in Five Different Number Base Systems

6.  The Language of Different Bases

       ANOTHER CHALLENGE: naming numbers in different bases

7.  Drawings and Names for 111₂, 111₃, and 111₁₀

.

1.  A Challenge

This post is my mental meandering about place value, base numbering systems, and their relationship. I am sorting through what and how to present place value and our base ten system of numbers to my sixth graders. There is much more here than I plan to present to them. This detail helps me sort through what to do. Before reading this post, I suggest that you write about how the position of a digit affects its value (place value) and base ten numbers. Remember that ours is a base ten place value system. Try to explain a base two system, although this system is difficult to explain. Other systems are easier to explain because the pattern becomes apparent. Explain a higher number systems such as base three or base four, then try to explain base twelve! I find this post difficult to write. This difficulty in writing reveals how confusing are the concepts of place value and base ten numbering system. It is important to have students work through many seemingly simple examples. Students must talk through the problems, explain the problems, and be able to write down those explanations.
[back to the top]

Hopefully, you have tried to write something. So, here goes …
Continue reading →