Remember how to find the hundreds place, the tens place, and the ones place (These are sometimes referred to as the hundreds column, tens column, and ones c­olumn.). For a whole number with three digits, the hundreds place is on the left, the tens place is in the middle, and the ones place is ­on the right. For a whole number with two digits, there is no hundreds place. The tens place is on the left, and the ones place is on the right. Whole numbers with just one digit have only a ones place.

How many digits are in the number 298? There are three digits. This number has a hundreds place, a tens place, and a ones place. How many hundreds are there in 298? There are two hundreds. How many tens are there? There are nine tens. And how many ones are there? There are eight ones.

Let's try a new number. How many digits are there in 41? The number 41 has two digits. How many tens are there in 41? There are four tens in 41. How many ones are there in 41? There is 1 one. How many hundreds are there in 41? There aren't any! Why is this? Remember that whole numbers with only one or two digits do not have a hundreds place.