Comparing two-decimal numbers
Compare numbers with the same number of decimal places up to two decimal places
What a learner can do afterwards
- Order 0.45, 0.54, 0.39 from smallest to largest
- Compare 3.72 and 3.27 using place-value reasoning
- Compare two prices with the same number of decimal places, like £6.47 and £6.42
1 · Read
A decimal has ones, tenths, and hundredths. To compare two decimals with the same number of decimal places, start on the left. Compare the ones first. If they match, compare the tenths, and the bigger tenths digit wins. If the tenths match too, compare the hundredths. In 0.74 and 0.71 the tenths tie at 7, and 4 hundredths beats 1, so 0.74 is bigger.
Compare 3.72 and 3.27. Both start with a 3, so look at the tenths digit next: 3.72 has a 7, and 3.27 has a 2. Seven tenths is more than two tenths, so 3.72 is bigger. The hundredths do not matter here.
Two prices: £4.75 and £4.57. Both have 4 pounds, so compare the digit right after the decimal point: 7 in £4.75, and 5 in £4.57. £4.75 costs more, even though both prices use a 5 and a 7.
Line up the digits by place. Compare the ones, then the tenths. Only look at the hundredths if the ones and the tenths both match.
Same number of decimal places: compare ones, then tenths, and only check the hundredths if the tenths are tied too.
Lesson, practice questions and flashcards are original to this dataset.
The reading 'Key ideas: compare measurements expressed as decimal numbers' is adapted from Khan Academy, and the videos are Khan Academy videos. Their terms are not recorded. The other reading and all practice questions are original to this dataset.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
16 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.