Question

Which is the greatest and the smallest among the group of numbers.
15432, 15892, 15370, 15524.

Answer 1

Hint: In order to find the greatest and the least number, we need to compare each and every digit starting from the left hand side. If the numbers are equal, then we move on to the next digit, and then compare the two digits. This process will continue till the right-most digit of the number. For example, in 12 and 13, we will start with the left digit. It is clear that both are equal, so we will move to the next digit. Here we can see that 3 is greater than 2, so we can conclude that 13 is greater than 12 or 13 > 12.

Complete step-by-step answer:
We have been given the four numbers 15432, 15892, 15370, 15524. We will start comparing the corresponding digits of each of the four numbers starting from the left hand side, and then move towards the right side successively. We will start by considering the first digits as-
15432, 15892, 15370, 15524
We can see clearly that the first digit is 1 in all the four numbers, so we will move on to the next place towards right as-
15432, 15892, 15370, 15524
In this case as well, the corresponding underlined digits of the four numbers are equal, that is, 5. So, we will further move on to the next number as-
15432, 15892, 15370, 15524
Here, we can start seeing the difference in the two numbers and start comparing. The third digits of these numbers are 4, 8, 3 and 5 respectively. So, their comparison can be written as-
3 < 4 < 5 < 8
The corresponding numbers can be compared as-
15370 < 15432 < 15524 < 15892
From this comparison we can deduce that 15370 is the smallest number and 15892 is the largest number. This is the required answer.

Note: In such types of questions, a common mistake is that the students may start the comparison from the right hand side instead of the other way round. This will result in a completely wrong answer. Also, students often exchange the greatest and the least number among the given numbers when they are in a hurry.