Video Transcript
Look at these numbers. zero, 14, 50, 61. Write each number once to make these correct. What is greater than what and what is greater than what.
The question starts by telling us to look at the numbers. So let’s do that. Is there anything that we can notice about these numbers? Something to do with the order of them? They seem to be already in order, from smallest to largest. So if we had a number line and we had to write each of these numbers in order on the number line, we’d find that the order that we wrote them is exactly the same as the order that the cards are in, zero, 14, 50. And then, the largest number is 61. We can use this to help us, because we’re then asked to write each number once to make the statements correct.
Each statement shows a box for a number, then a symbol, then a box for a second number. Look at how the widest part of the symbol is facing the first number. And the same is true for the second symbol too. The symbols are the same. We know that the wide part of the symbol always faces the larger number. And so if we read these statements from left to right, we’d say the first number is greater than the second number. How can we choose our numbers so that the first number is greater than the second? We know that 61 must be one of these first cards because none of the other numbers is greater than 61. 61 is greater than all of the other numbers. Let’s cross through 61 to remind ourselves that we’ve used it. We can write any of the other numbers in the second box. So let’s write zero. 61 is greater than zero.
Now, we’re left with 14 and 50. What is greater than what? 50 is greater than 14. There are other ways we could’ve answered the question. Remember, we said 61 was greater than all of the other numbers. So instead of writing 61 is greater than zero, we could write 61 is greater than 14. Now we’re left with the numbers 50 and zero. And we know that 50 is greater than zero.
A final way we could’ve answered is by pairing up 61 with 50. 61 is greater than 50. Now, we’re left with 14 and zero. 14 is greater than zero. So we can use our knowledge of the order of these numbers to answer the question. 61 is greater than zero. And 50 is greater than 14. Or we could answer 61 is greater than 14. And 50 is greater than zero. Or even 61 is greater than 50. And 14 is greater than zero.
