Place value & the number line

In our base-ten system, a digit's value depends on its position. In 372, the 3 means 3 hundreds, the 7 means 7 tens, and the 2 means 2 ones. Moving one place to the left multiplies a digit's value by 10; one place to the right divides it by 10. A number line lays values out in order from small (left) to large (right), which is how we compare them: any number to the right is greater.