Compare Numbers 17□ and 159: Finding the Missing Digit and Inequality Sign

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

• Step 1: Identify the range of possible values for 17 followed by a digit (Box).
• Step 2: Compare each possible value against 159.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: The number 17 followed by an unknown digit can be represented as $17\Box$, where $\Box$ can be any digit from 0 to 9. This forms the numbers 170 to 179.

Step 2: We'll compare these numbers:

• $170 > 159$
• $171 > 159$
• $172 > 159$
• $173 > 159$
• $174 > 159$
• $175 > 159$
• $176 > 159$
• $177 > 159$
• $178 > 159$
• $179 > 159$

Since all possible values of $17\Box$ (from 170 to 179) are greater than 159, the correct comparison sign is $>$.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is $>$.