GREATER THAN, LESS THAN What Is Greater Than and Less Than? When a number is greater than another number, this means it is a larger number. • If you are looking at a number line, a number that is greater than will always be to the right of the number with which you are comparing it. • The symbol for greater than is >. When a number is less than another number, this means it is a smaller number. • When looking at a number line, the number that is less than will always be to the left of the other number. • The symbol for less than is <. Tips • When using the symbol for greater than or less than, remember that it always points to the lower number. • Another way to remember is to think of it as an alligator’s mouth. The alligator always eats the larger number! © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
How to figure out greater than and less than: • When given two numbers to compare, first check to see if one of them has more digits than the other. If one of them has more digits than the other, then that number is the greater of the two. For example: Compare 182 and 27. You can see right away that the number 182 has three digits and the number 27 has two digits. This means that 182 is the larger number. Therefore, 182 is greater than 27 or 182 > 27. • If the two numbers that are being compared have the same number of digits, start by looking at the first digit in both of them. If the first digit in one number is larger, then that number is greater than. • If both numbers have the same number of digits and they both start with the same number, then move on to the next number. For example: Compare 57 and 59. Both of these numbers have two digits and they both start with the number 5. This means you need to look at the next number, or in this case, the ones place. Since the number seven is smaller than the number nine, 57 is less than 59 or 57 < 59. Try This! Compare the following numbers and add the correct symbol in between. (< or >) 733 ____ 765 473 ____ 64 92 ____ 28 42 ____49 © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.