Counting to a Hundred

Ten rows of ten, counted either way.

One row is ten

A hundred square has 10 rows, and each row has 10 squares. Count along the first row in ones, touching each square once: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. One full row is ten.

10

The first row is shaded: 10 squares.

Every row adds another ten

The second row runs from 11 to 20, and the third row from 21 to 30. Each new row adds another ten, so three full rows are 10, 20, 30.

So once you know the rows are full, count the rows instead of the squares: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. Seventy squares counted in ones takes seventy numbers. Counted in tens it takes seven, one for each row.

The names of the tens tell you how many tens there are. Forty is 4 tens, sixty is 6 tens and seventy is 7 tens. Twenty, thirty and fifty are 2, 3 and 5 tens, even though their names sound a little different.

70

Seven full rows are shaded: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70.

Each step along this line is ten more, the same as one more row of the hundred square.

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192939495969798991003 jumps of 10 = 30

3 jumps of 10 = 30

Count on to 100 in jumps of 10

Each jump of 10 lands at the end of the next row down: 10, 20, 30, and on to 100 at the bottom.

Ten tens make a hundred

Keep counting in tens: 80, 90, and the tenth row fills the square. Ten rows of ten is one hundred, written 100, and 10 × 10 = 100.

100

All 10 rows are shaded: ten tens is 100.

Moving around the hundred square

Counting in ones, each row ends on a ten, and the next number starts a new row. After 39 comes 40, not "thirty-ten", because 10 more ones have made another ten.

The rows make it quick to find ten more or ten less. 37 is in the row that runs from 31 to 40. The square just to its right is 1 more, 38. The square just below it is a whole row further on, which is 10 more, 47. The square just above it is 10 less, 27.

Worked example: Ten More, Ten Less and a Hundred More

Question Devi puts a counter on 64 on a hundred chart. Each row of the chart has ten numbers. (a) What number is just below 64, and what number is just above it? (b) What number is 100 more than 64?

  1. 1.Find 64 on the chart. It is in the row that goes from 61 to 70.

    51525354555657585960616263656667686970717273747576777879806464 is in the row from 61 to 70
    51525354555657585960616263656667686970717273747576777879806464 is in the row from 61 to 70
    Here are three rows of the hundred chart. 64 is in the row that goes from 61 to 70.
  2. 2.One row down is 10 more. The tens digit goes up by 1 and the ones digit stays the same: 64 + 10 = 74.

    515253545556575859606162636566676869707172737576777879806474One row down: 64 + 10 = 74
    515253545556575859606162636566676869707172737576777879806474One row down: 64 + 10 = 74
    One row down is 10 more. Only the tens digit changes: 64 + 10 = 74.
  3. 3.One row up is 10 less. The tens digit goes down by 1: 64 − 10 = 54.

    515253555657585960616263656667686970717273757677787980546474One row up: 64 − 10 = 54
    515253555657585960616263656667686970717273757677787980546474One row up: 64 − 10 = 54
    One row up is 10 less: 64 − 10 = 54.
  4. 4.(a) The number just below 64 is 74, and the number just above it is 54.

    51525355565758596061626365666768697071727375767778798054647454 is above and 74 is below
    51525355565758596061626365666768697071727375767778798054647454 is above and 74 is below
    (a) 74 is just below 64, and 54 is just above it.
  5. 5.(b) 100 more is 1 more hundred. The tens and the ones stay the same: 64 + 100 = 164.

    51525355565758596061626365666768697071727375767778798054647464 + 100 = 164Hundreds1Tens6Ones4
    51525355565758596061626365666768697071727375767778798054647464 + 100 = 164Hundreds1Tens6Ones4
    (b) 100 more is 1 more hundred. The tens and the ones stay the same: 64 + 100 = 164.

Answer: (a) 74 is below and 54 is above; (b) 164

Common mistakes

  • Saying that the number below 64 is 65. The number 65 is next to 64 in the same row, which is 1 more. One row down is 10 more.
  • Writing 1064 for 100 more than 64. One more hundred puts a 1 in the hundreds place, so the number is 1 hundred, 6 tens and 4 ones, which is 164.

More place value problems, worked step by step →

Practice Counting to a Hundred in the app