Decimals · Usually met around P4
Comparing decimals
Compare from the top place; more digits isn't bigger.
How to do it
Method
Compare from the top place; more digits isn't bigger
0.6 vs 0.58: tenths 6 > 5, so 0.6 is bigger
Another way
Pad with zeros
0.60 > 0.58
In full
Compare decimals from the highest place: the whole parts first, then the tenths if they match, then the hundredths. 0.6 and 0.58: in the tenths 6 > 5, so 0.6 is bigger; more digits doesn't mean bigger. Or pad with zeros so both have the same places: 0.60 and 0.58, and 60 hundredths beat 58. Against a fraction, turn it into a decimal first: a fraction in halves, quarters, fifths, twentieths, twenty-fifths or fiftieths scales up to hundredths, 34 = 75100 = 0.75. A whole number can be written as a decimal too: 3 = 3.00.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
Which number is the biggest?
- A. 5.72
- B. 5.7
- C. 5.06
- D. 5.8
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: D. 5.8
The whole parts match, so compare the tenths: 5.8 has the biggest.
Example 2
What is 6225 as a decimal?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 2.48
Multiply the top and bottom by 4 to get hundredths, then write the decimal.
Example 3
Of 0.86, 0.85, 0.91 and 2425, which is the biggest?
- A. 0.85
- B. 0.91
- C. 2425
- D. 0.86
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: C. 2425
2425 = 0.96; write them all as decimals and compare from the tenths: the biggest is 0.96.
Practise it in the game →Decimals · Free to start, unlimited questions, no download