Which of the following numbers is the biggest

M7MBA wrote:Which of the following numbers is the biggest:

[ -6/7, - 7/8, - 9/10, - 12/13, -34/35]

A) -6/7
B) -7/8
C) -9/10
D) -12/13
E) -34/35

If all the numbers are negative, the number that is the largest is the one that will be closest to zero on the number line. Here, that number is -6/7.

Alternate Solution:

If all the numbers are negative, the number that is the largest is the one will the smallest absolute value. Here, that number is -6/7 since |-6/7| = 6/7 which is smaller than the absolute value of any other numbers in the list.

Alternate Solution:

Note that if we have a list of numbers and if we were to add any constant number to each of the numbers on the list, the ordering of the numbers will not change. Let’s add 1 to each of the numbers on the list:

[ 1 - 6/7, 1 - 7/8, 1 - 9/10, 1 - 12/13, 1 - 34/35] = [ 1/7, 1/8, 1/10, 1/13, 1/35]

Since 1/7 is the largest among all the numbers obtained after adding 1 to each of the numbers, -6/7 is the largest among the original numbers.

Answer: A