Take any two digit number, say 47 Its first digit is 4 Its second digit is 7 Multiply the first digit 4 by 10 That gives 40 Now add the second digit, 7, to the 40 That gives 47, which is the same two-digit number we started with. Take another two digit number, say 82 Its first digit is 8 Its second digit is 2 Multiply the first digit 8 by 10 That gives 80 Now add the second digit, 2, to the 80 That gives 82, which is the same two-digit number we started with. Conclusion: Any two digit number is equal to 10 times its first digit plus its second digit. So if the two digit number is written 'ab' then 'a' is its first digit and 'b' is its second digit. So the two digit number is equal to 10a+b Edwin