KeyStage 2 Upper

Compare numbers (90000 to millions)

Lesson

Up to 6 digits

Here we will find out whether a number is smaller than or bigger than another number. To compare numbers we use certain symbols.

$<$< , or the "less than" symbol, is used when one number is smaller than another. Eg. $3<5$3<5 means the number three is less than the number five.

$>$> , or the "greater than" symbol, is used when one number is bigger than another. Eg. $9>4$9>4 means the number nine is bigger than the number four.

Once we have compared numbers, we can order and arrange them in ascending and descending order which we have already looked at in Ordering Numbers. If we look at the "less than" and "greater than" symbols they look like the letter V turned around. An easy way to remember the correct way to write the symbols is to remember that the small end always points to the small number.

Worked examples:

question 1

Which number is the largest?

$48638$48638
A
$\text{four hundred and nineteen thousand, seven hundred and thirty five}$four hundred and nineteen thousand, seven hundred and thirty five
B
$\text{fifty thousand and fifty seven}$fifty thousand and fifty seven
C
$394621$394621
D

question 2

Which number is the smallest?

$\text{three hundred and sixty four thousand, seven hundred and sixty seven}$three hundred and sixty four thousand, seven hundred and sixty seven
A
$376467$376467
B
$372608$372608
C
$\text{three hundred and sixty three thousand, two hundred and eighty}$three hundred and sixty three thousand, two hundred and eighty
D

question 3

Write an inequality symbol ($<$< or $>$>) in the box to make this number sentence true.

$107714\editable{}107540$107714107540