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Number Trail Grade 4 / Week 01 / Wednesday
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Week 01 · Big numbers

Wednesday

Compare and order
// Place value to one million
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Compare and order

Ferris and Bennie count pine needles on two big trees for a nature log.

Ferris guesses his tree has 482,105 needles.

Bennie guesses his tree has 479,980 needles.

"Mine has more digits that are nines," says Bennie with a grin.

"Does that make it bigger?"

Ferris is not sure. They line the two numbers up, place by place.

"Start at the left," says Bennie. "The first place that differs tells us."

Learn it: compare from the left

Line up the numbers by place.

Both have 4 hundred thousands, so look one place to the right.

482,105 has 8 ten thousands. 479,980 has only 7.

So 482,105 > 479,980, even with all those nines.

The sign > means greater than. The sign < means less than.

A place value chart showing 482,105
A place value chart showing 479,980
WHICH SIGN FITS?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
482,105 ? 479,980
36,210 ? 36,201
99,999 ? 100,000
705,300 ? 705,300
FIND THE GREATEST
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which number is the greatest?
Which number is the greatest?
Which number is the greatest?
ORDER FROM LEAST TO GREATEST
  • Compare the numbers place by place.
  • Tap them from least to greatest.
11st
22nd
33rd
44th
ORDER FROM LEAST TO GREATEST
  • Count the digits first.
  • Then compare from the left.
11st
22nd
33rd
44th
THINK ABOUT IT
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A number has six digits. Another has five digits. Which is greater?
Compare 58,712 and 58,172. Which place decides which is greater?
SentenceTrue or false?
36,210 > 36,201?
99,999 > 100,000?
450,000 < 405,000?
120,345 < 123,045?
WHY THIS EXERCISE99,999 has fewer digits, so it is less than 100,000.
Try it
Write four big numbers on four slips of paper.
Mix them up on a table.
Put them in order from least to greatest.
Ask someone to check your order.
Draw two place value charts to compare 482,105 and 479,980.

Nice comparing! Tomorrow Chris tells a story about rounding.

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