Less-than sign Less-than sign The "less-than sign" is a mathematical symbol that denotes an inequality between two values. The widely adopted form of two equal-length strokes connecting in an acute angle at the left, <, has been found in documents dated as far back as the 1560s. In typical mathematical usage, the less-than sign is typically placed between the two values being compared and signals that the first number is less than the second number. Examples of typical usage include "½ < 1" and "−2 < 1". Since the development of computer programming languages, the less-than sign and the greater-than sign have
Less-is-better effect of top-quality candy than a box containing those 24 pieces plus 16 lower-quality pieces. If a manufacturer has developed two versions of a product and wishes to know which will be more popular with consumers and should therefore be put on the market, presenting them jointly to the public will enable consumers to evaluate differences between them, while presenting them separately will better predict the consumer's actual experience of the product when and if it is actually put on sale. Less-is-better effect The less-is-better effect is a type of preference reversal that occurs when the lesser or smaller alternative of