Question

What is the question? compare: 17,643251;17633512; and 17633893

Answer 1

Hello,

All numbers are integers.

The number having the most number of digits is the greater.

But we are not lucky they have all 8 digits.

We must begin to compare the left most digit

Let's call p the position from left of the digit we examine.
We call x1,x2,x3 the numbers.

p=1: n1(p)=1;n2(p)=1;n3(p)=1 : we must go further
p=2: n1(p)=7;n2(p)=7;n3(p)=7 : we must go further
p=3: n1(p)=6;n2(p)=6;n3(p)=6 : we must go further
p=4: n1(p)=4;n2(p)=3;n3(p)=3 : so n1 is the greater but we must go further
p=5:              n2(p)=3;n3(p)=3 : we must go further
p=6:              n2(p)=5;n3(p)=8 : n2 is the median, and n3 the smallest

so n2<n3<n1
or 17633512<17633893<17,643251

I have explain as i were a cumputer.