Smallest to largest and back again
To order a group of numbers, first sort them by the number of digits. The numbers with the fewest digits are the smallest. Then compare the numbers that have the same number of digits, place by place from the left. Ascending order starts with the smallest number and ends with the greatest. Descending order starts with the greatest and ends with the smallest. A good way to check is to read your list again and ask, for each neighbouring pair, whether the sign < (ascending) or > (descending) is true. Do not forget to copy all the numbers: count them before and after ordering.
| Order | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Ascending | 987,654 < 1,205,999 < 1,250,030 < 1,250,300 |
| Descending | 1,250,300 > 1,250,030 > 1,205,999 > 987,654 |
| Year | Visitors |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,250,300 |
| 2 | 987,654 |
| 3 | 1,205,999 |
| 4 | 1,250,030 |
Human number line. Write six different numbers between 100,000 and 9,999,999 on six papers. Each player holds one paper. Without talking, the players line up from the smallest to the greatest. Then check each neighbouring pair with the sign <. Play again in descending order.