In 204 the 0 does not mean "skip it". It means there are no tens.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Why the 0 has to stay
Without it you would write 24, and 24 is a completely different number.
Holding the place open
The 0 keeps the 2 in the hundreds place. Take it away and the 2 slides over.
Say 204 as "two hundred four". You simply do not say the empty place.
Zero holds a place open
In 308 the 0 says there are no tens. It is not decoration and it cannot be left out. Without it the number would read 38, which is a completely different amount. Zero is what makes it possible to write "none of this size" while keeping the other digits in their proper columns.
Zero the number and zero the placeholder
Zero on its own means an amount of nothing: zero apples. Zero inside a number means no units of that particular size. These are related but not identical ideas, and mixing them up is what makes 308 feel confusing at first.
Leading zeros do nothing
Writing 076 does not change 76 — a zero in front of the leftmost digit holds a place that was already empty. That is why we do not write it. Zeros matter when they sit between other digits, holding a real gap open.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Build 204. The tens column shows 0, and there are no rods.
Hundreds
2
Tens
0
Ones
4
two hundred four
200 + 4 = 204
2 hundreds, 0 tens and 4 ones is 204.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Leo Avoid the Trap
Leo is shown 2 flats, no rods, and 4 cubes.
- Step 1
He counts 2 hundreds and writes a 2.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Careless Answer
Problem 1 of 2
3 hundreds, 0 tens and 6 ones. What is the number?
No Ones
Problem 2 of 2
5 hundreds, 7 tens and 0 ones. What is the number?
Mind the Zero
1 of 4
4 hundreds, 0 tens, 9 ones is which number?
2 of 4
In 807, how many tens are there?
3 of 4
In 610, how many ones are there?
4 of 4
What does the 0 in 305 mean?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
7 hundreds, 0 tens and 2 ones is which number?
Question 2 of 2
Why must the 0 in 204 be written?
What You Learned
- A 0 means none of that unit, not nothing at all.
- The 0 holds the other digits in their places.
- 204 and 24 are completely different numbers.