Ordering Integers

Once you can compare two integers, ordering a whole group of them is just repeated comparison: arrange them from smallest (furthest left on the number line) to largest (furthest right), or the reverse. The tricky part, as with comparing, is remembering that negative numbers with larger digits are actually smaller: -20 comes before -5 when ordering from smallest to largest.

Ordering From Smallest to Largest

Picture every integer as a point on the number line, then simply read them off from left to right.

Order from smallest to largest: 4, -9, 0, -2, 7

Placing them on a number line from left to right: -9, -2, 0, 4, 7.

Finding the Smallest or Largest

Which is the smallest of these integers: -6, 3, -14, 8?

-14 is furthest left on the number line, so it is the smallest.

Real-Life Application

Weather records: ranking the coldest recorded temperatures.
Elevation: ordering points from deepest ocean trench to highest mountain.
Leaderboards: ranking golf scores from best (most negative) to worst.

Key Takeaways

Ordering integers means arranging them by their position on the number line.
The most negative number is always the smallest in the group.
This skill combines directly with comparing integers from the previous page.

Practice: Ordering Integers

Order the Integers