Compare Tens Before Ones
Use place value to decide which two-digit number is greater.
Supplied materials
- Paper and pencil, or a trusted adult to read and record spoken answers.
- Supplied numbers: 42 and 37; later, 54 and 58.
Learn the idea
A ten contains ten ones. When comparing two-digit numbers, first compare how many tens they have. Four tens already make forty, so a number with four tens is greater than a number with three tens, even if its ones digit is smaller.
If the tens match, compare the ones. Fifty-four and fifty-eight both contain five tens, so four ones and eight ones decide the order. The symbol > means greater than; < means less than. You can also say the comparison aloud.
- Draw four ten-boxes and two ones for 42, and three ten-boxes and seven ones for 37.
- Compare tens and say why 42 is greater.
- Build 54 and 58; compare their equal tens, then their ones.
See the method in action
42 = 40 + 2 and 37 = 30 + 7. Forty-two is greater because it has four tens. For 54 and 58, the tens tie; 4 < 8, so 54 < 58.
Check your reasoning
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See the answer and explanation
63 < 68
Both numbers have six tens. Three ones are fewer than eight ones, so 63 < 68.
Take it further
Compare 73 and 68 instead. Seven tens is more than six tens, so 73 > 68 even though three ones is fewer than eight ones.
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