Greater Than Less Than Calculator
Compare any two values and get the right inequality symbol instantly. Type whole numbers, decimals, negatives, or fractions like 3/4 into either box — the tool shows which is greater, writes the comparison with > , < , or =, and gives the difference between them.
Example: with First value 0.65 · Second value 0.605 → Comparison: 0.65 > 0.605.
- Symbol to use> (greater than) — the open side faces 0.65
- Difference0.045 (0.65 is larger by 0.045)
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
The alligator rule: the open mouth of the symbol always faces the larger number. Fractions and mixed numbers are converted to decimals before comparing.
How to compare numbers that look tricky
Decimals trip people up because longer does not mean bigger: 0.65 beats 0.605 even though 605 looks larger than 65. Line the decimals up place by place — tenths first, then hundredths — and the first place where they differ decides. Padding with zeros helps: 0.650 vs 0.605 makes the win in the hundredths place obvious.
Negatives flip intuition the other way: −2 is greater than −7 because it sits further right on the number line, even though 7 is the bigger digit. For fractions, convert to decimals (3/4 = 0.75) or cross-multiply. The symbol itself is easy once the ordering is known — the open side always faces the larger value.
How it’s calculated
Both entries are parsed to decimal values (fractions a/b become a ÷ b; mixed numbers like 1 1/2 become 1.5; commas are stripped), then compared directly: a > b, a < b, or a = b. The difference is |a − b|, rounded to 9 decimal places to remove floating-point noise.
Comparisons are numeric only — this tool does not order text, dates, or units, and repeating fractions are compared through their decimal values.
Inequality symbols at a glance
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| > | Greater than | 7 > 5 |
| < | Less than | 3 < 8 |
| = | Equal to | 1/2 = 0.5 |
| ≥ | Greater than or equal to | x ≥ 4 includes 4 |
| ≤ | Less than or equal to | x ≤ 9 includes 9 |
Standard inequality notation as taught in US elementary and middle school math.
Common mistakes
- Judging decimals by length: 0.605 is not bigger than 0.65 — compare place by place from the left.
- Forgetting negatives reverse: −2 > −7, because closer to zero is greater on the negative side.
- Pointing the symbol the wrong way — the open mouth faces the larger number, so 5 > 3 and 3 < 5 say the same thing.
- Comparing fractions by numerators alone: 3/4 < 4/5 even though both numerator and denominator are smaller.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remember which symbol is which?
Use the alligator rule: the open mouth eats the bigger number. 9 > 4 reads "nine is greater than four"; flip the values and the symbol flips too: 4 < 9.
Is 0.65 greater than 0.605?
Yes. Compare place by place: both have 6 tenths, but 0.65 has 5 hundredths against 0. The difference is 0.045. Longer decimals are not automatically larger.
Which is greater, -2 or -7?
−2 is greater. On a number line, greater always means further right, and −2 sits right of −7. With negatives, the smaller-looking digit wins.
How does the calculator compare fractions?
It converts them to decimals first: a/b is computed as a ÷ b, so 3/4 becomes 0.75, then the decimals are compared. You can mix formats — 3/4 versus 0.8 works fine.