Mia's frame and Ben's frame hold the same number of beads, but not the same number.
The big ideaTo compare two numbers, start at the biggest place and work down.
How it works
To compare two numbers, start at the biggest place and work down.
Compare the hundreds first. If they match, compare the tens. If those match too, compare the ones.
Higher rows count for more, so a number with fewer beads can still be the bigger number.
Like a hungry crab, the claws of greater than and less than always face the bigger number.
Mia's frame: 258.Ben's frame: 285.
Example 1: Same hundreds, different tens
Mia has 258 and Ben has 285.
Hundreds: 2 and 2 match, so look at the tens.
Tens: 5 and 8. Eight tens beat five tens.
So Ben's 285 is the bigger number.
Example 2: Fewer beads, bigger number
Compare 407 and 399.
Hundreds: 4 beats 3, so we stop there.
407 has fewer beads across, but its hundreds are bigger, and the hundreds come first.
Fewer beads, bigger number.
Example 3: Same hundreds and tens
Compare 531 and 513.
Hundreds: 5 and 5 match. Tens: 3 and 1, so we stop.
Three tens beat one ten, so 531 is bigger.
Example 4: A hundred more, ten less
Start with 352.
A hundred more: one bead slides onto the hundreds row, so 352 + 100 = 452.
Ten less: one bead slides back on the tens row, so 352 − 10 = 342.
Only one row changes each time.
352 + 100: only the hundreds row changed.
Example 5: Equal numbers
Two frames have the same beads on every row.
Same hundreds, same tens and same ones.
So the numbers are equal.
Words to know
compare
Decide which of two numbers is bigger, or whether they are equal.
greater than
Bigger than. The crab's claws face it.
less than
Smaller than.
equal
The same number.
Watch out
Do not count the beads. Compare the places.
Start with the hundreds, not the ones.
If the hundreds match, go on to the tens. If the tens match too, go on to the ones.
The same beads on every row mean equal numbers.
Try it
Which is bigger, 618 or 681?
Which is bigger, 509 or 499?
What is 352 + 100?
Which is smaller, 805 or 850?
Answers: 1. 681 · 2. 509 · 3. 452 · 4. 805
Try at homeAsk a grown-up to help you make two three-digit numbers with cards or a die. Say them aloud, hundreds first, and decide which is bigger by checking the biggest place first. Then swap!
For grown-upsRoll a die three times to make a three-digit number, then do it again. Say both aloud, hundreds first, and decide which is bigger.
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