Solution to the series of numbers question

Here you have to determine which of these numbers is the smallest, and then the next smallest, and so on. This is difficult, because the numbers are expressed in a variety of different ways. There are fractions, decimals, and a number in scientific standard form. In order to work this out, it is best to choose a way of representing all the numbers which allows you to compare. The best way here is to express the numbers as a decimal number. You can use a calculator to help you. Each of the answers are to four decimal places, which should be enough to allow us to determine the order in which the numbers fall. 3/9 is 0.3333.

0.3321 is already a decimal number, and so is 0.3321. 4/7 is 0.5714. 7/16 is 0.4375. The next number is in scientific standard form. And 4.181 multiplied by 10 to the power minus 1 is the same as 0.4181. And finally, 6/13 is 0.4615. Because all these numbers are now expressed in a similar way, it is relatively straightforward to determine the order in which they fall. And so 0.3321 is sixth, 3/9 is fifth, 4.181 times 10 to the minus 1 is fourth, 7/16 is third, 6/13 is second, and 4/7 is the largest number. You can see the advantage of expressing the numbers all in a similar way, as it allows you to easily determine their size.