Decimals

Comparing decimals

Let's imagine you're shopping for a new water pitcher. You find two you like—one holds 0.7 gallons, while the other holds 0.5 gallons. Do you know which pitcher is larger? Click the arrows to find out.

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  To find out which pitcher holds more, you could simply compare the decimals to see which is larger.

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  7 is larger than 5, so 0.7 is larger than 0.5. The larger the number to the right of the decimal point, the larger the decimal.

How about these two decimals:

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  Again, you'll simply compare the numbers to the right of the decimal point.

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  74 is larger than 72, so 0.74 is larger than 0.72.

Now let's compare these decimals:

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  Since the whole number, 1, is the same for both decimals, we'll compare the numbers to the right of the decimal point.

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  If you thought .2 was larger than than .19, you were right!

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  Remember, 1.2 could also be written as 1.20.
  20 is larger than 19, so 1.20 is larger than 1.19.

Now it's your turn! Click on the larger number.