🔢 MathGrade 3Lesson 4
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Compare Large Numbers

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Learning Objectives

  • 1Compare two 4-digit numbers using the symbols >, <, and =
  • 2Identify the greater or lesser of two large numbers by comparing place values from left to right
  • 3Sort a set of numbers as greater than or less than a given target number
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Mini Lesson

Comparing large numbers means deciding which is greater, which is lesser, or whether they are equal. We use three symbols: > (greater than), < (less than), and = (equal to). The key is to compare digits place by place, starting from the highest place value.

How to Compare Two Numbers

  1. Line up the digits by place value: thousands, hundreds, tens, ones.
  2. Start with the thousands digit. If they differ, the number with the greater thousands digit is bigger.
  3. If the thousands digits are the same, move to the hundreds. Continue right until you find a difference.
  4. If all digits are the same, the numbers are equal.

The Comparison Symbols

  • > means "greater than": 6,240 > 3,815 because 6 thousands > 3 thousands.
  • < means "less than": 2,300 < 4,500 because 2 thousands < 4 thousands.
  • = means "equal to": 4,500 = 4,500 — every digit is the same.
Compare place values: 6,240 vs 3,815A place-value grid comparing 6,240 and 3,815. The thousands column shows 6 vs 3, highlighted in blue. Since 6 is greater than 3, 6,240 is greater than 3,815.Compare Place ValuesThHTO624038156 > 36,240 > 3,815Compare thousands first
Comparison symbols: greater than, less than, equalThree examples showing the comparison symbols. 7,100 is greater than 4,500. 2,300 is less than 4,500. 4,500 equals 4,500.Using >, <, =7,100>4,5002,300<4,5004,500=4,500The open end of > or < always faces the bigger number.
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Remember: the open end of > or < always faces the bigger number. Think of it as a hungry mouth eating the larger value.

Vocabulary
Compare
To look at two numbers to see which is greater, less, or equale.g. Compare 4,529 and 4,267 to see which is bigger.
Greater than (>)
A symbol that shows the first number is biggere.g. 5,400 > 5,200.
Less than (<)
A symbol that shows the first number is smallere.g. 3,100 < 3,500.
Equal to (=)
A symbol that shows two numbers have the same valuee.g. 2,000 = 2,000.
Place value
The value of a digit based on its position in a numbere.g. Compare the thousands place value first.
Digit
A single number symbol from 0 to 9e.g. Compare each digit from left to right.
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