How do you order the following from least to greatest without a calculator 2, -3/7, 0.75, -3/2?

2 Answers
Oct 8, 2017

-3/2,-3/7,0.75,2

Explanation:

First, let's make all these common to decimals just to make it easier:
2.0, -0.42..., 0.75, -1.5

The smallest number here is -1.5

The largest number here is 2.0

Least to greatest (in decimal form is): -1.5, -0.42, 0.75, 2.0

Least to greatest in the original form would be: -3/2,-3/7,0.75,2

Oct 8, 2017

-3/2 < -3/7 <0.75<2

Explanation:

Negative numbers are always smaller than positive numbers.

So an initial sort gives us:

-3/7 and -3/2 are both smaller than 2 and 0.75

On the number line, numbers decrease to the left and increase to the right.

-3/2 = -1 1/2 This is between -1 and -2 and is therefore to the left of -3/7 which is between 0 and -1

-3/2 <-3/7

0.75 is a proper fraction and is between 0 and 1 and is smaller than the whole number 2

This gives the order as: -3/2 < -3/7 <0.75<2