Step 1 of 4 · The big idea
When comparing two numbers, start from the leftmost digit (biggest place).
Same number of digits? Compare digit-by-digit, starting from the left. First difference wins.
Different digit counts? The one with more digits is bigger. (4-digit > 3-digit)
Step 2 of 4 · Same first digits
1234 vs 1243. Walk left-to-right until digits differ.
thousands: 1 vs 1 → tied
hundreds: 2 vs 2 → tied
tens: 3 vs 4 → left is smaller!
Step 3 of 4 · First difference wins
4000 vs 3999. Different at the very first digit!
thousands: 4 vs 3 → left is bigger!
No need to check the rest. 4000 > 3999.
Even though 999 looks "bigger" than 000, the thousands place wins. Always compare leftmost first!
Step 4 of 4 · Your turn
Pick the right symbol: <, >, or =.
🏆
Nice work!
You compared them all.