Greater Than Sign, Less Than, Equal Symbols [Examples & Meaning]

What is the greater than sign? What is less than sign? This article will introduce the definition, meaning, and usage of the greater than and less than signs, greater than or equal to sign, and the other related math symbols and mathematical knowledge.

Now, let’s view some learning methods for remembering this mathematical symbol and using all the symbols in mathematics.

Part 1. What is Greater Than Sign?

So what is the sign for greater than? What is greater than sign meaning?

In mathematics, the greater than sign is a basic mathematical symbol used to indicate an inequality between two values. The symbol used to indicate a greater than inequality is “ > ”.

This is a universally adopted mathematical symbol consisting of two strokes of equal length joined at an acute angle on the right.

The typical use of the greater than sign compares two values ​​where the first number is greater than the second, or one value is greater than the other. We can see its great application in descending order, where the arrangement from the largest number to the smallest number is done using the greater than sign.

Greater Than Sign Examples

• 8 > 4: 8 is greater than 4
• 1.5 > 0.2: 1.5 is greater than 0.2
• -0.1 > -0. 8: -0.1 is greater than -0.8

How to use greater than sign?

The best way to remember the greater than symbol is the alligator method. When you compare two values, think of the alligator method.

We know that the alligator’s mouth is always pointed to the largest value as it can eat as much as possible. In order to represent the greater value by using the greater than sign the alligator’s mouth always opens to the left.

Part 2 . Greater Than or Equal to Sign

Sometimes we may observe scenarios where the result is obtained by solving an expression  for a variable, which is greater than or equal to each other. In such cases, we can use the greater than equal to sign, i.e. ≥.

For example, x ≥ -3 is the solution of a certain expression for variable x.

What does greater than or equal to mean?

“Greater than or equal to”, means that a variable is greater than or equal to a certain value. The term “greater than” is used to indicate that one quantity is greater than another quantity. The term “equal to” is used to indicate that two quantities are equal.

When these two terms are combined together, they form a new term “greater than or equal to”, which is used to indicate that a quantity or amount value limit can be equal to or greater than a given limit.

For example, to be enlisted in the military, a person should be at least 18 years old. This means that a person’s age should be greater than or equal to 18 years old.

Greater Than or Equal to Symbol

The “greater than or equal to” sign is used in linear inequalities when we do not know whether the value of a variable is greater than or equal to a particular value. It is represented by the symbol “≥”.

This symbol is the “greater than” sign (>) with a sleeping line underneath it. The sleeping line below the greater than sign represents “equal to”.

Here are a few examples of “greater than or equal to”.

• x ≥ 50 means the value of x should be greater than or equal to 50.
• a ≥ -8 means the value of “a” should be greater than or equal to -8.

Greater Than or Equal to Application

The greater than or equal to symbol is used in mathematics to express the relationship between 2 expressions. The following table shows where and how the greater than or equal to sign is used along with examples and meanings.

Symbol	Example	Meaning
Greater than or equal to, ≥	x ≥ 88 ≥ x ≥ −1	The value of x is greater than or equal to 8.The value of x is between -1 and 8 inclusive of both values.

Equal sign

Did you know that we started using the equal sign more than 450 years ago?

The first person to do so was physician and mathematician Robert Recorde, who explained that no two things are more equal than two parallel lines. So he started using this symbol to represent equality:

We continue to use it today to express the same value, pronounced “equals.”

For example:

4 = 4

7 + 5 = 9

a = a

Part 3. Greater Than and Less Than Sign

Greater than and less than signs are used to show the relationship between two numbers. The wide-open side of the sign always faces the number with the higher value. These symbols are especially useful in math problems where there is no clear answer. These types of math problems are called inequalities.

Math inequalities focus on the relationship between two values of which we do not know the exact answer.

In fact, there could be several right answers, and these symbols help to save time as it could take a very long time otherwise write each and every possible answer!

What do the greater than and less than symbols mean?

The greater than sign (>) denotes that the number after the greater than sign is smaller than the number before the symbol. The less than sign (<) denotes that the number after the sign is bigger than the number before the sign.

The greater than sign and the less than sign are simply inverted versions of the same symbol.

What Are Greater Than and Less Than Signs For?

Inequalities are math problems that can’t be solved with a clear “equal to” answer – instead, they compare two things and show how they are related, rather than showing that one thing is equal to another.

Hence the name; “inequality” means that two things are not equal.

We’re all familiar with the equal sign “=” in math. But “>” and “<” are not as common, let alone “≥” and “≤”.

How do I remember which sign to use?

In addition to the Alligator or Crocodile Method mentioned above, some other methods can help us remember when to use which symbol. Let’s look at some tricks of the trade:

The L Method

If you look at the less than sign and think about what letter it might represent, chances are it may start to look like a capital letter “L” – just slightly lopsided. And since “less than” starts with the letter “L”, the symbol and its meaning go hand-in-hand, like fingers in mittens.

And since the “greater than” sign does not look like the letter “L”, the greater than sign can never mean less than.

The Open Ends Method

This is the most basic approach to the greater than and less than signs. Simply put, the open or wide part of the symbol always faces the number with the greatest value. The angled side points to the smaller number. Much like an arrow pointing to a small bullseye on a target.

Part 4. Inequality Symbols Chart

In the field of mathematics, symbols play a vital role in conveying complex ideas concisely. Among these symbols, the greater than sign is fundamental to comparing values.

What’s more, here the list of all the symbols along with the greater than symbol with its definition and examples are given in detail.

Symbol	Description	Meaning	Example
<	Less than	Less than—the number on the left is less than the number on the right; 2 < 3	3 < 5
>	Greater than	Greater than—the number on the left is greater than the number on the right; 3 > 2	6 > 4
≤	Less than or equal to	Less than or equal to—the number on the left is less than or equal to the number on the right; 2 or 3 ≤ 3	Students ≤ 50
≥	Greater than or equal to	Greater than or equal to—the number on the left is greater than or equal to the number on the right; 2 or 3 ≥ 2	Students ≥ 5
≠	Not equal to	Does not equal—the number on the left does not equal the number on the right; 2 ≠ 3	4 + 2 ≠ 5

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1. How to use greater than less than calculator?

Greater than and less than calculator is a free online tool that displays the result of whether the first number is less than or greater than the second number and compares given numbers in a fraction of a second.

The steps to use the greater than less than calculator are as follows:

• Step 1: Enter two numbers (whole numbers/decimals) in the respective input fields ‘a’ and ‘b’
• Step 2: Click on the ‘Solve’ button to compare the numbers
• Step 3: Now the result will be displayed in the output field showing whether the first number is greater than or less than the second number

Q 2. What does the line under the greater than sign mean?

The line below the greater than sign means “equal to”. For example, x ≥ 9 means that x is either greater than or equal to 9. It defines a range of values that x can take, which starts from 9 and goes to infinity.

The word “greater than” expresses that one quantity is greater than the other quantity.

Q 3. What is smaller than the symbol?

The smaller than symbol is, the less than a symbol, is used to compare if one value is smaller than the other one. For example, 6 is smaller than 12, 6<12.

Conclusion

In summary, the greater than sign, greater than or equal to sign, and other math symbols have many uses. One of the key and fundamental things students need to learn is to understand the relationship between number values ​​and how to express that relationship using symbols. This will help them as they move on to algebra, calculus, and more advanced math topics.

If you want to know more about mathematical symbols or have any questions, you can leave a comment, and let’s exchange mathematical knowledge together!