At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter if you write 3 < 5 or 5 > 3, nor does it matter if you say “3 is less than 5” or “5 is greater than 3.” Read it however you want, provided you convey accurate information.
However, if you don’t know the meaning of the symbol (i.e. if you see x < y and aren’t sure whether x or y is bigger), then we have a problem.
If english is your first and main language, then there is no confusion mapping “less than” → <, and “greater than” → >.
If english is not your first and main language, then you might hesitate or ask for clarification on the symbols, or guess from the context.
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter if you write
3 < 5or5 > 3, nor does it matter if you say “3 is less than 5” or “5 is greater than 3.” Read it however you want, provided you convey accurate information.However, if you don’t know the meaning of the symbol (i.e. if you see
x < yand aren’t sure whether x or y is bigger), then we have a problem.