The phrases “greater than” and “less than” can be used to compare numbers on the number line. For example, the numbers -2.7, 0.8, and -1.3, are shown on the number line.

Because -2.7 is to the left of -1.3, we say that -2.7 is less than -1.3. We write:

$\displaystyle \text-2.7 <\text -1.3$

In general, any number that is to the left of a number $n$ is less than $n$.

We can see that -1.3 is greater than -2.7 because -1.3 is to the right of -2.7. We write:

$\displaystyle \text-1.3 >\text -2.7$

In general, any number that is to the right of a number $n$ is greater than $n$.

We can also see that $0.8 > \text-1.3$ and $0.8 > \text-2.7$. In general, any positive number is greater than any negative number.