Fill in the missing sign (?):
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Fill in the missing sign (?):
Let's locate the letters on the number line and see which numbers they represent:
Since the number 1 is positive and the number minus 4 is negative:
All negative numbers appear on the number line to the left of the number 0.
Great question! The negative sign changes everything. Think of it as debt: having 1 in your pocket. On the number line, negative numbers are always to the left of positive numbers.
Use the number line trick! The inequality symbol points to the smaller number. Since -4 is to the left of 1 on the number line, we write .
When comparing two negative numbers, the one closer to zero is larger. For example: because -2 is to the right of -5 on the number line.
Not always! Once you understand the pattern, you can remember: negative < positive and smaller negative numbers are actually larger. But the number line is always there to help visualize!
The question mark represents the missing comparison symbol you need to find. It could be , , or . Your job is to determine which one correctly compares the two values!
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