Compare Numbers to 99 Notes & Questions | Class 1 Mathematics | Drishti OS

Compare Numbers to 99

NCERT anchor: NCERT Joyful Mathematics Class 1 — Chapter 12: Numbers in All (comparing two-digit numbers)

What you'll learn

Compare two numbers up to 99 and say which is bigger or smaller.
Use the tens digit first, then the ones digit, to compare.
Solve simple "who has more" story problems using comparison.

Key concepts

1. Compare the tens digit first

Between 52 and 47: the tens digit 5 is bigger than 4, so 52 is bigger, no matter what the ones digits are.

2. Same tens digit? Compare ones

Between 63 and 68: both have 6 tens, so compare ones — 8 is bigger than 3, so 68 is bigger.

3. Bigger and smaller

The number with the bigger value is called greater; the number with the smaller value is called smaller or lesser.

4. Equal numbers

If both the tens and ones digits match exactly, the numbers are equal — for example, 45 and 45.

Worked example

Comparing rupee savings

Step 1 — Rani has ₹36 saved. Aman has ₹41 saved.
Step 2 — Compare the tens digit: 3 tens (Rani) vs 4 tens (Aman).
Step 3 — 4 tens is more than 3 tens, so Aman's number is bigger.
Answer: Aman has more money saved — ₹41 is greater than ₹36.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why	Fix
Comparing ones digit first	Not checking tens digit first	Always look at the tens digit before the ones digit
Thinking more digits always means bigger	True for different digit counts, but two-digit numbers need digit-by-digit comparison	Compare tens, then ones, one place at a time
Guessing instead of comparing place by place	Rushing the comparison	Line up the numbers and compare tens, then ones

Quick check

Which is bigger: 58 or 65?
Which is smaller: 74 or 71?
Meera has 29 stickers. Kabir has 32 stickers. Who has more stickers?
Stretch: Arrange 18, 81, and 45 from smallest to biggest.

Revision tip: Use a 1–100 number chart — numbers further to the right or in a lower row are bigger.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Compare Numbers to 99.

Compare Numbers to 99