Question

Which choice below shows the following numbers in order from least to greatest?

√(4), 8, √(16), 1/3, π

Answer 1

1/3,
`√(4)`, π,
`√(16)`, 8

Explanation:

Simplifying or rounding complicated numbers to integers can help us order them.

• Integer - an integer is any whole number, including zero, that can be negative or positive.

Simplifying Numbers

Numbers like 1/3 and 8 don't need to be simplified because they are commonly used and understood.

Both 4 and 16 are perfect squares. So, to simplify these numbers we can just solve.

• 
  `√(4)` = 2
• 
  `√(16)` = 4

There is no way to "solve" pi, but we can round it to an easier number. Technically, pi is irrational, so there is no way to write out the whole number. However, in this case, we can just round to the nearest whole number.

• π ≈ 3

This means, in the order they appear, the simplified numbers are 2, 8, 4, 1/3, and 3.

Ordering the Numbers

From this point, they should be easy to order.

• 1/3 is the smallest because it is the only number less than 1.
• 
  `√(4)` is next because it is equal to 2
• π is third since it is only slightly above 3
• 
  `√(16)` is fourth since it is equal to 4
• 8 is the largest number on the list.