which number is greater

20 is greater than 10, because when comparing usual positive whole numbers, the number that is further to the right on the number line is greater.

Quick idea

• When comparing two positive numbers, the one with the larger value (more units) is greater.

• On a number line, numbers increase as you move to the right, so 20 lies to the right of 10 and is therefore greater.

Tiny number-line story

Imagine standing on a straight path marked with numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, … up to 20.

You start at 10 and walk forward to 20; every step you take moves you to a larger number, so the place you end up (20) must be greater than where you started (10).

Simple rule of thumb

• If both numbers are positive and have different sizes, the one with more digits is usually greater (20 vs 9, 100 vs 20, etc.).

• If they have the same number of digits, compare them from left to right: in “20” vs “10”, the first digit 2 is greater than 1, so 20 > 10.

TL;DR: Among ordinary whole numbers like 10 and 20, 20 is greater.