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Ordering Numbers

Compare Numbers


Imagine you have a pile of marbles, and your friend has a different pile. How can we know for sure who has more?You have 3 marbles: Your friend has 4 marbles: Who has more marbles?

To find out who has more, we can line them up and match them one-to-one:
Your friend has one extra marble that doesn't have a partner. This means 4 is bigger than 3.
Your friend has more marbles.


Definition Comparing Numbers
Comparing is looking at two or more numbers to see which is greater (bigger), less (smaller), or if they are equal (the same amount).
Definition Comparison Symbols
We use special symbols to write down our comparisons:
Symbol Meaning Example
\(=\) is equal to
\(>\) is greater than
\(<\) is less than
Helpful Trick: The Alligator Mouth
Think of the \(>\) and \(<\) symbols as a hungry alligator's mouth. The alligator always wants to eat the bigger number!
\(\quad\)
The open mouth always faces the bigger number.

How to Compare 2-Digit Numbers

Method Comparing 2-Digit Numbers
To compare two-digit numbers, we have a simple two-step process. We always start by looking at the most important place value: the tens!
  • Step 1: Compare the Tens place. Look at the digit in the tens place for each number. The number with more tens is the bigger number.
  • Step 2: Compare the Ones place (if needed). If the digits in the tens place are the same, then you look at the ones place. The number with more ones is the bigger number.
Example
Compare 43 and 25.

  • Step 1: Compare the Tens.
    • The number 43 has 4 tens.
    • The number 25 has 2 tens.
  • Since 4 tens is more than 2 tens, we know that 43 is greater than 25. We don't need to look at the ones.
\(\quad \Huge > \quad\)
43 > 25

Example
Compare 45 and 43.

  • Step 1: Compare the Tens.
    • The number 45 has 4 tens.
    • The number 43 has 4 tens.
  • The tens are the same! So, we must move to the next step.
  • Step 2: Compare the Ones.
    • The number 45 has 5 ones.
    • The number 43 has 3 ones.
  • Since 5 ones is more than 3 ones, we know that 45 is greater than 43.
\(\quad \Huge > \quad\)
45 > 43