← Back to course
Number Trail Grade 5 / Week 02 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 02 · Decimals to thousandths

Wednesday

Compare and order decimals
// Read, write, compare and round
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Compare and order decimals

Bennie the Bear and Chris the Coyote each find a walking stick on the trail.

Bennie measures his stick. "Mine is 0.45 meters long."

Chris measures his. "Mine is 0.405 meters. It has more digits, so it must be longer!"

Bennie holds the sticks side by side. His stick is a little longer.

"More digits does not mean more," says Bennie gently.

"We compare place by place, starting on the left."

Chris laughs. "Then I will compare more carefully next time."

Learn it: compare place by place

Line up the decimal points. Start at the left.

0.45 and 0.405 both have 0 ones and 4 tenths.

Look at the hundredths: 5 is greater than 0.

So 0.45 > 0.405.

It helps to write 0.45 as 0.450. Then compare 450 thousandths to 405 thousandths.

A number line from 0.40 to 0.50 with a dot at 0.45

On a number line, the greater number is farther to the right.

WHICH SIGN GOES IN THE MIDDLE?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
0.45 ? 0.405
3.2 ? 3.200
1.09 ? 1.1
0.7 ? 0.689
WHICH IS GREATER?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which is greater, 2.36 or 2.306?
Which is greater, 0.9 or 0.899?
Which is less, 5.07 or 5.7?
Which is less, 12.48 or 12.5?
MORE SIGNS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
6.030 ? 6.03
0.512 ? 0.52
4.8 ? 4.79
0.06 ? 0.006
LEAST TO GREATEST
  • Compare the tenths, then the hundredths.
  • Put them from least to greatest.
11st
22nd
33rd
44th
SHORTEST TO LONGEST STICK, IN METERS
  • Write each one with the same number of places.
  • Put them from shortest to longest.
11st
22nd
33rd
44th
SentenceTrue or false?
0.45 > 0.405?
2.1 < 2.09?
7.50 = 7.5?
0.009 > 0.01?
WHY THIS EXERCISE2.1 is 2.10, which is greater than 2.09. And 0.009 is less than 0.010.
Try it
Find two or three things at home with decimal labels, like 1.5 or 0.75.
Write the numbers in a list.
Add zeros so they all have the same number of places.
Put them in order from least to greatest.
Draw a number line from 0.4 to 0.5 and mark 0.45 and 0.405.

Careful comparing! Tomorrow Chris tells a story about rounding.

← Tuesday