... ... The powers of 10 on the left represent the place values of the various digits. The 1 on the far right represents the digit itself. Your example: 6313 = 6*1000 + 3*100 + 1*10 + 3 = 6*(9*111+1) + 3*(9*11+1) + 1*(9*1+1) + 3 = 9*(6*111+3*11+1*1) + 6 +