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The notation a < b means that a is less than b. The notation a > b means that a is greater than b. In either case, a is not equal to b. These relations are known as strict inequalities, [1] meaning that a is strictly less than or strictly greater than b. Equality is excluded.
In mathematical writing, the greater-than sign is typically placed between two values being compared and signifies that the first number is greater than the second number. Examples of typical usage include 1.5 > 1 and 1 > −2. The less-than sign and greater-than sign always "point" to the smaller number.
1. Strict inequality between two numbers; means and is read as "less than". 2. Commonly used for denoting any strict order. 3. Between two groups, may mean that the first one is a proper subgroup of the second one. > (greater-than sign) 1. Strict inequality between two numbers; means and is read as "greater than". 2.
unstrict inequality signs (less-than or equals to sign and greater-than or equals to sign) 1670 (with the horizontal bar over the inequality sign, rather than below it) John Wallis: 1734 (with double horizontal bar below the inequality sign) Pierre Bouguer
In an inequality, the less-than sign and greater-than sign always "point" to the smaller number. Put another way, the "jaws" (the wider section of the symbol) always direct to the larger number. The less-than-sign is sometimes used to represent a total order, partial order or preorder.
It is often attached to a technical term to indicate that the exclusive meaning of the term is to be understood. The opposite is non-strict, which is often understood to be the case but can be put explicitly for clarity. In some contexts, the word "proper" can also be used as a mathematical synonym for "strict".
As an example, "is less than" is a relation on the set of natural numbers; it holds, for instance, between the values 1 and 3 (denoted as 1 < 3), and likewise between 3 and 4 (denoted as 3 < 4), but not between the values 3 and 1 nor between 4 and 4, that is, 3 < 1 and 4 < 4 both evaluate to false.
A number is negative if it is less than zero. A number is non-negative if it is greater than or equal to zero. A number is non-positive if it is less than or equal to zero. When 0 is said to be both positive and negative, [citation needed] modified phrases are used to refer to the sign of a number: A number is strictly positive if it is greater ...