Lesson 2 – Comparing Decimals

Objective:
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to compare decimals using <, > and = signs correctly.
Comparing decimals involve both the whole numbers before the decimal point and the numbers after the decimal point. First compare the numbers before the decimal point (that is the whole numbers if they are the same, compare the numbers after the decimal point).

Example 1
Write   ˃,   ˂   or   = between the decimal numbers to make it true.
42.623______41.927

Solution
42.623   >   41.927
You will first look at the numbers 42 and 41. 42 is greater than 41, therefore put the greater than sign between the numbers.

Example 2
Write   ˃,   ˂   or   = between the decimal numbers to make it true.
2.292______2.628

Solution
2.292   <    2.628
First examine the numbers before the decimal point. You will observe that are the same. Move to the next numbers after the decimal point. You will observe that the first number has 2 after the decimal point and the second number has 6 after the decimal point. 6 is greater than 2. Therefore, 2.628 is greater than 2.292. Write a less than sign (<) is placed between the numbers.