Greater Than Less Than Symbol: Hungry Alligators < >

Numbers are all around us, and being able to compare their values is a fundamental skill in mathematics. This is where the Greater than > and Less than < symbols come in! These little symbols help us describe which number reigns supreme in the equation. Even though they do seem confusing since it is just the same symbol, just reversed. But, in this blog, all your qualms will be squashed regarding the Greater Than Less Than Symbol as there are Examples and Tricks on how to remember them.

Also Read: Linear Equation in Two Variables 

Meaning of Greater than and Less than Symbols 

The Greater than symbol which is > means that the number on its left side is bigger than the number on its right. On the other hand, the Less than symbol which is < signifies that the number on the left is smaller than the one on the right.

Imagine a hungry alligator. The alligator always wants a bigger meal, right? So, the open end of the symbol either > or < points towards the larger number, like the alligator’s mouth opening towards the bigger prey.

Also Read: Short Maths Tricks

Greater Than Symbols with Examples 

Let us take a look at the Examples of the Greater than symbol:

• 5 > 3: This means 5 is greater than 3.

• 10 > -2: Here, 10 is a bigger positive number compared to the negative -2.

• A > B: This can be used with variables as well, hence signifying that the value of A is larger than the value of B.

Also Read: Coding Decoding Questions

Less Than Symbols with Examples 

Now, let us look at the Examples for the Less than symbol:

• 2 < 7: This translates to 2 being less than 7.

• -5 < 0: In this case, -5 is less than 0 (closer to zero).

• C < D: Similar to Greater than, this represents the value of C being smaller than the value of D.

Also Read: Order of Operations and PEMDAS Rule

How do you Remember Less than Greater than?

There are a few tricks to solidify these symbols in your mind:

• The Alligator Method: Remember our hungry alligator? The open end of the symbol always faces the bigger number, thus, the alligator’s target. 

• The Arrow Method: Think of the symbols as arrows. The arrowhead points towards the smaller value. ->  <- 

Related Blogs 

7 Types of Fractions with Examples	What are Co Prime Numbers?
How to Find Percentage of Marks?	Multiplication Tables of 1 to 20
Ordinal Numbers from 1 to 100!	Table of 17: Multiples up to 20 & a Trick!
Table of 12: Multiples up to 20!	What is the HCF of Two Consecutive Odd Numbers?

I hope this helps! Did you like learning about Greater Than Less Than Symbol? Keep reading our blogs to learn more about the basic concepts of Maths!