In Indian system of numeration, the place values of digits are Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, Ten Thousands, Lakhs, Ten Lakhs, Crores, and so on.
Let us go through the Indian numeral system place value table:
Periods on Ones:
| Place value | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
| Number | \(100\) | \(10\) | \(1\) |
| Number of zeros | \(2\) | \(1\) | \(0\) |
Periods on Thousands:
| Place value | Ten Thousands | Thousands |
| Number | \(10000\) | \(1000\) |
| Number of zeros | \(4\) | \(3\) |
Periods on Lakhs:
| Place value | Ten Lakhs | Lakhs |
| Number | \(1000000\) | \(100000\) |
| Number of zeros | \(6\) | \(5\) |
We uses imaginary calculators "Creative Chitti" and "Systematic Sippy" (like Thoughtful Thousands, Tedious Tens, etc.) to illustrate how numbers are constructed.
Minimal Representation is the standard Indian place value notation for a number, achieved using the least number of clicks on place value buttons.
Example:
- \(100\) can be reached by ten clicks of the \(+10\) button or one click of the \(+100\) button.
- Let us form the number \(5,072\)
By pressing,
Step-1: \(+1000\) button five times.
Step-2: \(+100\) button zero times.
Step-3: \(+10\) button seven times.
Step-4: \(+1\) button two times.
This reinforces the idea of expanded notation:
\(5,072 = (5 \times 1000) + (0 \times 100) + (7 \times 10) + (2 \times 1)\)
Important!
The standard way of writing a number \(5,072\) is the one that uses the least number of clicks.