Ordering Decimals
Decimals practice
Arrange three different decimals from least to greatest or greatest to least.
Decimals practice
Arrange three different decimals from least to greatest or greatest to least.
Put three decimals in order, least to greatest or greatest to least.
Each question gives you three different decimals, so there are never ties. They have up to three decimal places and can have different numbers of places. The question says which way to order them.
Tap a decimal to place it in the next spot, tap a placed one to take it back, then check your answer.
Typical level: Grade 4 and beyondOrdering builds on comparing decimals, which Grade 4 does through hundredths and Grade 5 extends to thousandths. Curriculum timing varies.
Example: 2.45, 2.39 and 2.4
| Decimal | Ones | Decimal point | Tenths | Hundredths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.45 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2.39 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
| 2.4 | 2 | 4 | 0 (zero added) |
Zeros added at the end do not change the value.
Line up the decimal points and add a zero at the end of 2.4, so all three have 2 decimal places: 2.45, 2.39, 2.40. A zero at the end does not change a value (Comparing Decimals shows why).
Now compare place by place, from the left, the way you compare two decimals. All three have 2 ones. The tenths are 4, 3 and 4, so 2.39 is the smallest. 2.40 and 2.45 have the same tenths, and their hundredths are 0 and 5, so 2.40 < 2.45.
2.39 < 2.4 < 2.45
By length, 2.4 has the fewest digits, but it is not the smallest: it is in the middle.
Greatest to least. Make the same comparisons in the opposite direction, starting from the largest: 2.45 > 2.4 > 2.39.
With thousandths, add zeros until every decimal has the same number of places: 0.6, 0.605, 0.63 becomes 0.600, 0.605, 0.630. Then compare from left to right: 0.600 < 0.605 < 0.630.