How does the alligator mouth in math work?

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The Alligator Method Whichever number is larger, the alligator mouth is opened towards that number. If you were given 5 and 8 and were told to show which number is greater than or less than, the alligator would open his mouth towards the 8. This shows that 5 is less than 8.

Which alligator mouth is greater than less than?

One of the best ways to memorize the greater than and less than signs is to imagine them as little alligators (or crocodiles), with the numbers on either side representing a number of fish. The alligator always wants to eat the larger number of fish, so whatever number the mouth is open toward is the larger number.

What are the crocodile signs in maths called?

The maths inequality signs, or ‘less than’ (<) and ‘greater than’ (>) signs, are also often called crocodiles because of the way that they look. We can use these signs to show and solve inequality problems by changing the direction of the signs. Inequality signs are also sometimes used in algebra later on in school.

Does the crocodile eat the bigger number?

So remember…. The greedy crocodile always eats the greater (bigger) number…. And the point of the crocodiles mouth points to the smaller number like an arrow.

How do you explain greater and less than?

The greater than or equal symbol means the number on the left is greater than or equal to the number on the right. The less than symbol means that the number on the left is less than the number on the right.

How do you use less than greater than?

The symbol used to represent greater than is “>” and less than is “<”. If one value is larger than the other value, we use greater than. Similarly, if we want to represent one value is less than the other value, we use less than. For example, 5 is greater than 5.

What are greater and less than symbols called?

Angle brackets typically are used as “less than” and “greater than” signs in math. Examples include: 8 < 16 or 20 > 1.

What is greater than and less than symbol?

The greater than symbol is >. So, 9>7 is read as ‘9 is greater than 7’. The less than symbol is <. Two other comparison symbols are ≥ (greater than or equal to) and ≤ (less than or equal to).

What is greater than less than alligator math game?

This greater than less than alligator math game includes a mat to place the numbers on, it has a center square to add the greater than, less than or equal sign in the center. You can play this as a game with two players, like the game of war.

Which way is the Alligator Mouth facing on the greater number?

For the “Greater Than” recording page students would record the number that is greater on the left circle and the number that is less on the right circle. This way it would read “__ is greater than __.” The alligator mouth is facing the greater number.

How do you use greater than and less than in math?

First, looking at the symbols for greater than and less than, > <, you can visually see how it looks like an alligator mouth. When trying to decide what symbol to use on the greater number, remember that the alligator’s mouth is always open to eat the larger food: 5 > 3 = 5 is greater than 3.

What are the symbols for greater than and less than?