What does the word compare mean in math

LEARN
DICTIONARY
VOCABULARY LISTS
TEST PREP

Table of Contents Show

For Everyone
For Educators
Leaderboards
How to Compare Numbers?
Representation
Solved Examples

To compare is to look at two things and see how they are similar and different.

People compare all the time. If you look at two products and compare prices, you're looking for the better bargain. It is hard to compare who was the better athlete, Michael Jordan or Billie Jean King, because they played different sports. At a museum, you can compare different paintings. If you like your math teacher better than your history teacher, you're comparing the two. If a TV shows is bad, you could say "it doesn't compare" to your favorite show.

Definitions of compare

verb
examine and note the similarities or differences of

“John compared his haircut to his friend's”

“We compared notes after we had both seen the movie”
verb
consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous

“We can compare the Han dynasty to the Romans”
synonyms: equate, liken
“This car does not compare with our line of Mercedes”
noun
qualities that are comparable

“beyond compare”
synonyms: comparability, comparison, equivalence
verb
to form the comparative or superlative form on an adjective or adverb

For Everyone

For Educators

Help

Leaderboards

Vocabulary Bowl
Bowl Leaders
Today's Leaders
Weekly Leaders
Monthly Leaders

Connect

Vocabulary.com Blog
News & Events
Tell us what you think

Our Story

Our Mission
Team / Jobs
Partnerships

Comparing numbers is an essential part of constructing the meaning of the number of students. The sense of number is a student's ability to understand a number, its meaning and its relationship with other numbers. It is this important final factor that is generated by comparing numbers.

It is crucial for learners to have an understanding of the numbers and their meaning they will be dealing with before working on comparing numbers. This understanding can be fundamental, including the need for manipulatives and other hands-on devices to be used.

Think of it like this, if you asked a student which is more, 3 or 4, the student needs to be able to know that your word "three" means the symbol 3. The same with the number 4. But once a student has this basic understanding, they are able to start learning about comparing numbers.

How to Compare Numbers?

There are two ways of comparing numbers:

Using counting
Use of number line

Using Counting

We recognize that a number with more digits is often higher than a number with fewer digits.
When the two numbers have the same number of digits, once we come across unequal digits, we begin comparing the digits from the leftmost location.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Use of Number Line

You may use a number line when comparing the values of two numbers to decide which number is greater. The number is often greater on the right than the number on the left. You will see in the illustration below that 4 is greater than 2 since 4 on the number line is to the right of 2.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Representation

Comparison symbols are used to compare greater and smaller numbers.

Different Comparison Symbols:

Less than (<) returns true if the left value is lower than the right value, otherwise, it returns false.
If the value on the left is larger than the value on the right, greater than (>) returns true, otherwise it returns false.
If the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on the right, less than or equal to (<=) returns true, otherwise it returns false.
If the value on the left is greater than or equal to the value on the right, greater than or equal to (>=) returns true, otherwise it returns false.
Equal to (===): returns true if the left value is equal to the right value, otherwise it returns wrong.
Not equal to (!==) returns true if the left-hand value is not equal to the right-hand value, otherwise it returns false.

minus/negative

plus/positive

Multiplied by

Divided by

Equals

≠

Is not equal to

Is approximately equal to

≈

Is Equivalent to

Is identical to

≡

≢

Is not identical to

Plus or minus

Is less than or equal to

≤

Is greater than

Is greater than or equal to

≥

Is equal to

Solved Examples

1. Compare 132 and 45 and figure out which number is the larger number.

Solution:

Start by counting the number of digits in both the numbers. In this case, 132 has three digits and 45 has two digits, and according to the rule mentioned above whichever number has more number of digits is the larger number. Therefore, 132 is the larger number.

2. Put the correct sign of comparison:

Solution:

Fun Facts

In the whole Hindu Arabic number system, there is only one number which can be spelt with the same number of letters as it itself. It's four that total.
The decimal system number, which has 10 digits, from 0 to 9, is followed. It is also known as the scheme of Hindu Arabic numerals. More than 1000 years ago, it was found.
13 is known to be an unlucky number. But it turned out to be the most common two-digit number in Alex Bellos' studies.
What will happen after a million, a billion, a trillion? The numbers can be called quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, and decillion after these words.
In the Indian number system, letter A only appears first in 1000, from 0 to 1000 ("one thousand").

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

/ kəmˈpɛər /

See synonyms for: compare / compared / comparing on Thesaurus.com

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

verb (used with object), com·pared, com·par·ing.

to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences: to compare two pieces of cloth; to compare the governments of two nations.

to consider or describe as similar; liken: “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”

Grammar. to form or display the degrees of comparison of (an adjective or adverb).

verb (used without object), com·pared, com·par·ing.

to be worthy of comparison; be held equal: Dekker's plays cannot compare with Shakespeare's.

to appear in a similar standing: His recital certainly compares with the one he gave last year.

to differ in quality or accomplishment as specified: Their development compares poorly with that of neighbor nations.

to vie; rival: Can we all agree that most people want fair treatment and to compare favorably with others?

to make a comparison: The only way we can say which product is better is to compare.

comparison: Her beauty is beyond compare.

THIS QUIZ ON BLUE OPPOSITES WILL SURELY "BLUE" YOU AWAY

What do you think the opposite of blue is? See how much you know about the many ways we can describe the opposite of blue.

What does SAFFRON symbolize in Hindu traditions?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

compare and contrast. See entry at compare and contrast.

compare apples and / with / to oranges, to compare things that are fundamentally different from each other, usually used to suggest that the things cannot or should not be directly compared:Comparing per pupil costs in public schools to tuition costs in private schools is comparing apples and oranges.

compare apples to / with / and apples, to compare things that are similar to each other in a basic or fundamental way:Let’s compare apples to apples and look at the Professional package versus the Plus package.

compare notes. note (def. 32).

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English comparen, from Latin comparāre “to place together, match,” verbal derivative of compar “alike, matching” (see com-, par1); replacing Middle English comperen, from Old French comperer, from Latin

The traditional rule about which preposition to use after compare states that compare should be followed by to when it points out likenesses or similarities between two apparently dissimilar persons or things: She compared his handwriting to knotted string. Compare should be followed by with, the rule says, when it points out similarities or differences between two entities of the same general class: The critic compared the paintings in the exhibit with magazine photographs. This rule is by no means always observed, however, even in formal speech and writing. The usual practice is to employ to for likenesses between members of different classes: A language may be compared to a living organism. But when the comparison is between members of the same category, both to and with are used: The article compares the Chicago of today with (or to ) the Chicago of the 1890s. Following the past participle compared, either to or with is used regardless of whether differences or similarities are stressed or whether the things compared belong to the same or different classes: Compared with (or to ) the streets of 18th-century London, New York's streets are models of cleanliness and order.

com·par·er, nounin·ter·com·pare, verb (used with object), in·ter·com·pared, in·ter·com·par·ing.pre·com·pare, verb (used with object), pre·com·pared, pre·com·par·ing.re·com·pare, verb (used with object), re·com·pared, re·com·par·ing.

un·com·pared, adjectivewell-com·pared, adjective

comparative philology, comparative psychology, comparative religion, comparative statement, comparator, compare, compare and contrast, compare notes, comparison, comparison microscope, comparison-shop

analyze, contrast, correlate, equal, match, measure, study, connect, link, relate, approach, balance, bracket, collate, confront, consider, contemplate, divide, examine, hang

As well as investing, the platform allows customers to spend their cash via partnerships with impact-oriented compares, and offset their carbon footprint through a subscription.
Get rid of excess moisture and up the starch content for crispiness beyond compare.
Compare that to Guardians of the Galaxy which opened in Korea on July 31.
And compare, as noted up top, to Secretary Clinton, who spent years quietly pushing a modernized Cuba policy.

To compare, Lana Del Rey sold over 100,000 copies that same week.
You can even compare your results to the top golfers in the world.
Now compare that to what happened when Sarah Palin's emails were released.
The IRS Email Double Standard|Matt Lewis|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here he can inspect what he sees, say the reflection of the face of his mother or nurse, and compare it at once with the original.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Pentegot est une fort belle riviere, et peut 48 estre compare la Garonne de France.
A bull-fight is fearful enough, but it cannot compare with the struggle between a maddened buffalo and his pursuer.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
In the Pedal department no reed or flue pipe can begin to compare with a Diaphone, either in attack or in volume of tone.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
"And I can return the compliment," was my reply, as we all gathered round a brew of tea to exchange news and compare notes.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood

(tr usually foll by to) to regard or represent as analogous or similar; likenthe general has been compared to Napoleon

(tr usually foll by with) to examine in order to observe resemblances or differencesto compare rum with gin

(intr usually foll by with) to be of the same or similar quality or valuegin compares with rum in alcoholic content

(intr) to bear a specified relation of quality or value when examinedthis car compares badly with the other

(intr usually foll by with) to correspond toprofits were £3.2 million. This compares with £2.6 million last year

(tr) grammar to give the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of (an adjective)

(intr) archaic to compete or vie

compare notes to exchange opinions

comparison or analogy (esp in the phrase beyond compare)

C15: from Old French comparer, from Latin comparāre to couple together, match, from compar equal to one another, from com- together + par equal; see par

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

In addition to the idiom beginning with compare

WORD OF THE DAY

faunanoun | [faw-nuh ]

SEE DEFINITION

FEEDBACK