suppose you find the least of four 3-digit numbers by comparing the digits in the hundreds place. should you automatically examine the tens digits to find the next greatest number? explain and give an example.

To find the least of four 3-digit numbers by comparing the digits in the hundreds place, you do not need to automatically examine the tens digits. Let me explain why:

When comparing the digits in the hundreds place, you are essentially comparing the leftmost digit of each number. This digit represents a higher order value compared to the tens or units place digits. Therefore, it holds more weight in determining the overall value of the number.

By comparing the hundreds place, you can determine which number has the lowest value among the given numbers. You do not need to consider the tens digits unless there is a tie in the hundreds place. In that case, you would move on to compare the tens place digits to break the tie, and then the units digits if necessary.

Let's take an example to understand this better. Suppose we have the following four 3-digit numbers: 452, 376, 293, 568.

Step 1: Compare the hundreds place digits:
- 4 (from 452)
- 3 (from 376)
- 2 (from 293)
- 5 (from 568)

The lowest value among these digits is 2, which corresponds to the number 293.

In this example, you can see that we found the least of the four numbers by solely considering the hundreds place digits and without needing to examine the tens digits.