Subjects/Mathematics/Comparing Numbers
MathematicsNumbers and Place Value

Comparing Numbers

Compare numbers using > and < symbols

10 minIncludes video

Learning Objective

4Nn12: Compare pairs of three-digit or four-digit numbers using > and < signs

Key Concepts

  • > means "greater than"
  • < means "less than"
  • Compare digits from left to right

Examples

5,432 > 5,234 (because 4 hundreds > 2 hundreds)

3,891 < 3,981 (because 8 tens < 9 tens)

Tip

The "mouth" of the symbol always opens toward the bigger number!

Video: Khan Academy (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) | Aligned to Cambridge Primary 4Nn12