Definition
Greater than
Greater than means that one value is larger than another.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
Defining relationship
The wide side of > faces the greater value; the point faces the smaller.
For two comparable values a and b, a is greater than b when a has the larger value; this is written a > b. On a standard number line, a lies to the right of b. The open side of > faces the greater value.
9 is farther from zero than 5
The wide side faces the greater value; the point faces the smaller value.
What it means
Read the statement from left to right. In 14 > 9, fourteen is the greater value. The symbol’s wide opening is beside 14, while its point is beside 9.
Remember it
The wide side of > faces the greater value; the point faces the smaller.
Example
Compare 1 m and 85 cm. Since 1 m is 100 cm and 100 > 85, 1 m is greater than 85 cm.
Watch for
A longer-looking numeral is not always greater: 0.9 > 0.12 because nine tenths is more than twelve hundredths.
Common mix-up
Read from the left: 3 < 8 and 8 > 3 describe the same comparison in opposite directions.
Exact meaning
For two comparable values a and b, a is greater than b when a has the larger value; this is written a > b. On a standard number line, a lies to the right of b. The open side of > faces the greater value.