Chapter 2 of 7

29%

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 3 Mathematics★ 10-12 marks across TN Class 3 Term 1, 2, and 3 exams — number writing up to 999, 3-digit operations, multiplication tables up to 10, and basic division

Numbers

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 3 Mathematics — Chapter 2, Numbers. Numbers up to 10,000 with 3-digit operations. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

⏱ 10 min readeasy-to-medium difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

Worksheet

Podcast

Listen as a conversation

A teacher & a student talk through the chapter — in your language.

Mind Map

The chapter at a glance

Every concept and exam-favourite branch — revisable in 5 minutes.

…

Study Guide

Night-before notes

Key points, glossary and the questions most likely to show up.

…

VocabularyBuild your vocabularyLexiGenome mines the key words and schedules them with spaced repetition.Mine words →

By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Read, write, and count numbers up to 999 in digits and words
2Understand place value: hundreds, tens, and ones (e.g., 473 = 4 hundreds + 7 tens + 3 ones = 400 + 70 + 3)
3Compare and order numbers up to 999 using >, <, and = symbols
4Add and subtract 3-digit numbers with and without regrouping (carry-over and borrowing)
5Memorise multiplication tables from 2 to 10
6Multiply a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number with regrouping (e.g., 24 × 3 = 72)
7Divide a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number with and without remainder (e.g., 45 ÷ 3 = 15; 47 ÷ 3 = 15 remainder 2)
8Solve 2-step word problems involving all 4 operations

💡

Why this chapter matters

Class 3 is the year children transition from 2-digit to 3-digit numbers and from simple arithmetic to confident computational fluency. They learn place value up to hundreds, add and subtract 3-digit numbers with regrouping, memorise multiplication tables up to 10, and perform basic division with remainders. This is also the year they encounter the first real word problems requiring them to choose the correct operation. A child who masters Class 3 numbers is mathematically equipped for everyday life — from reading prices to measuring ingredients.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

🔗

Numbers — Class 3 Mathematics (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 3 Mathematics, Chapter 2. Numbers up to 10,000 with 3-digit operations.

1. About this chapter

This chapter covers Numbers as part of the Class 3 Samacheer Kalvi Mathematics curriculum. It deals with numbers up to 10,000 with 3-digit operations and builds conceptual understanding essential for the TN School Term Exam.

By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:

Read and write numbers up to 10,000
Add and subtract 3-digit numbers with carry

2. Key concepts

Concept 1: Read and write numbers up to 10,000.
Concept 2: Add and subtract 3-digit numbers with carry.

3. Important terms and formulas

Term / Formula	Description
Read and write numbers…	Read and write numbers up to 10,000
Add and subtract 3-digit…	Add and subtract 3-digit numbers with carry

4. Worked examples

Example 1. Applying a key concept from this chapter.

Solution: Identify the relevant principle → apply the formula or rule → state the answer with correct units.

Example 2. A typical exam-style question on numbers.

Solution: Break the problem into steps, use the appropriate formula and verify the answer.

5. Common mistakes

Mistake: Skipping units or forgetting to state them. Fix: Always write units alongside every quantity and answer.
Mistake: Confusing similar terms or concepts in this chapter. Fix: Make a comparison table of the terms during revision.

6. Practice (exam-style)

Define the main term or principle covered in Chapter 2.
Give two real-life examples related to numbers.
Solve a short numerical or descriptive question from this chapter.
State one important formula and explain each symbol.

7. Answer key (hints)

Refer to section 2 (Key concepts) above for the definition.
Examples should be drawn from daily experience and local context.
Apply the formula from section 3, show all steps clearly.
Formula with units — refer to the textbook glossary for symbol meanings.

8. Quick revision

Class 3 Mathematics — Chapter 2: Numbers.
Core idea: Numbers up to 10,000 with 3-digit operations.
Key outcomes: Read and write numbers up to 10,000; Add and subtract 3-digit numbers with carry.
Always revise diagrams / tables from the Samacheer Kalvi textbook before the exam.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Place value — Hundreds, Tens, Ones

A 3-digit number = Hundreds × 100 + Tens × 10 + Ones. Example: 582 = 5 hundreds (500) + 8 tens (80) + 2 ones (2). Expanded form: 500 + 80 + 2.

Use an abacus or draw place value columns: H | T | O. The digit in each column tells you how many of that value. The number 305 has 3 hundreds + 0 tens + 5 ones — the zero in the tens place is crucial and must be written.

Addition with 3-digit numbers

Step 1: Add the ones column; if sum ≥ 10, write ones digit and carry to tens. Step 2: Add tens column including carry; if sum ≥ 10, write tens digit and carry to hundreds. Step 3: Add hundreds column including carry. Example: 467 + 285 = 752.

Always align numbers by place value (ones under ones, tens under tens, hundreds under hundreds). Draw vertical place value lines if needed.

Subtraction with borrowing across zeros

If a digit is too small, borrow from the next column. If the next column is 0, borrow from the column after that. Example: 500 − 237: ones: 0−7, borrow from tens (tens is 0, so borrow from hundreds). 5 hundreds becomes 4 hundreds, 0 tens becomes 10 tens → borrow 1 ten making 9 tens, 0 ones becomes 10 ones → 10−7=3, 9−3=6, 4−2=2. Answer: 263.

This is the hardest subtraction pattern for Class 3. Practise with visual blocks or 'Base-10' manipulatives. The key: when a column is 0, you must go one column further left to borrow.

Multiplication tables (2 to 10)

Table of 2: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. Table of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30. Table of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40. Table of 5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50. Table of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60. Table of 7: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70. Table of 8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80. Table of 9: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90. Table of 10: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

For the 9-times table: the digits of the answer always sum to 9 (9×7=63, 6+3=9). Also, the tens digit is one less than the multiplier: 9×7=63 (7−1=6). These patterns make the 9s table the easiest!

⚠️

Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Writing 305 as 35 — dropping the zero

✓ 305 means 3 hundreds + 0 tens + 5 ones. Writing '35' means 3 tens + 5 ones = 35, which is totally wrong. The zero in the tens place must be written — it holds the place.

WATCH OUT

✗ Adding from left to right instead of right to left

✓ Always start addition from the ONES column (rightmost). This way, if there is a carry-over, you can handle it correctly. Left-to-right addition only works in mental maths for simple numbers.

WATCH OUT

✗ In division, writing the remainder as a decimal without understanding

✓ At Class 3 level, remainders should be written as 'Remainder 2' or 'R 2', not as decimals. Example: 23 ÷ 5 = 4 remainder 3 (not 4.6). Understanding remainders conceptually is more important than decimal conversion at this stage.

AI helpers for this chapter

Generate more practice on the fly, or have the chapter explained at a different level.

⚡

Generate 5 more questions

Fresh MCQs + short-answer items based on this chapter, plus answer keys.

🧠

Explain at a different level

Re-explain the chapter at the level you actually want.

📝 My notes

Saved on this device — sign in to sync · how this works

0/600

Practice more, ask doubts, find a tutor

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) Class 3 mock tests

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) Class 3 PYQs

Ask in Q&A

Mathematics flashcards

Related chapters

Students who read Numbers usually read these next.

Geometry

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 3 Mathematics — Chapter 1, Geometry. Shapes, angles and lines of symmetry. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

Patterns

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 3 Mathematics — Chapter 3, Patterns. Number patterns and odd/even sequences. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

Measurements

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 3 Mathematics — Chapter 4, Measurements. Standard units of length and weight. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

Money

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 3 Mathematics — Chapter 5, Money. Rupees, paise and money problems. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

🧑‍🏫