Compare & Order Numbers Notes & Questions | Class 3 Mathematics | Drishti OS

Compare & Order Numbers

What you'll learn

To compare two numbers using > (greater than), < (less than), and = (equal to).
To compare numbers by looking at hundreds first, then tens, then ones.
To arrange a group of numbers in ascending (smallest first) or descending (largest first) order.

Key concepts

Level 1 — Core idea

Verbal: To compare 47 and 52, look at the tens digit first: 4 tens is less than 5 tens, so 47 < 52.

Symbolic: 47 < 52, and 52 > 47.

Visual: Line the numbers up by place value and compare column by column, starting from the leftmost (biggest) place.

Level 2 — Going deeper

For 3-digit numbers, compare hundreds first. If hundreds are equal, compare tens. If tens are also equal, compare ones. Example: 356 vs 359 — hundreds equal (3=3), tens equal (5=5), so compare ones: 6 < 9, meaning 356 < 359.

NCERT anchor

NCERT Math Mela, Class 3 — Chapter 9 (House of Hundreds) compares numbers of sheets, stamps, and beads using place-value blocks to decide which is more or less.

Worked example

Compare 482 and 428 using >, <, or =.

Step 1 — Hundreds: 4 = 4 (equal, move on)
Step 2 — Tens: 8 vs 2 → 8 is greater
Answer: 482 > 428

Arrange 305, 350, and 53 in ascending order.

Step 1 — Count digits: 53 has 2 digits, the others have 3 digits, so 53 is smallest.
Step 2 — Compare 305 and 350: hundreds equal (3=3), tens: 0 vs 5 → 305 is smaller.
Answer: 53, 305, 350

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why	Fix
Comparing only the first digit seen without checking place value	Ignoring how many digits each number has	A 3-digit number is always greater than a 2-digit number
Mixing up > and <	Forgetting which side is "bigger"	The open (wide) side of the symbol always faces the bigger number
Stopping comparison too early	Not checking the next place when a place is tied	If hundreds are equal, compare tens; if tens are equal, compare ones

Quick check

Compare 618 and 681 using >, <, or =.
Arrange 274, 247, and 724 in descending order.
Which is smaller: 99 or 102?
Stretch: Write the smallest and largest 3-digit numbers you can make using the digits 6, 1, and 9 exactly once. (Smallest: 169, Largest: 961)

Revision tip: Always compare from the leftmost place (biggest value) and only move right if there's a tie.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Compare & Order Numbers.

Compare & Order Numbers