Comparing and ordering whole numbers

Comparing two integers

To compare two integers, we use the following symbols:

• < means ‘is less than’

• means ‘is greater than’

• = means ‘is equal to’

Example: 45 < 78 is read as “forty-five is less than seventy-eight”.

Method of comparison

1. First, compare the number of digits: the number with the most digits is the larger one (in standard notation, we never write an unnecessary zero in front of a number).
2. If both numbers have the same number of digits, compare the digits one by one, starting from the left (the highest place value).

Example: compare 3,245 and 3,198. Both numbers have 4 digits. The thousands digit is the same (3). We then compare the hundreds digits: 2 versus 1. As 2 > 1, we have 3,245 > 3,198.

Ordering numbers

Ordering in ascending order = from smallest to largest. Ordering in descending order = from largest to smallest.

Example: arranging 12, 108, 45, 9 in ascending order gives: 9 < 12 < 45 < 108.

Summary table

Symbol	Meaning
<	less than
>	greater than
=	equal to

Common pitfall

Be careful with the direction of the < and > symbols: the point always points towards the smaller number, whilst the opening faces the larger one. Many pupils mistakenly reverse 5 < 8 to 5 > 8 out of carelessness: imagine a ‘hungry crocodile’ opening its mouth wide towards the larger number.