Greater-than sign

ASCII Code: 62•Category: math

The greater-than symbol (>) indicates numerical superiority and logical relationships, essential for mathematics, programming, and markup languages across technical and educational contexts.

Technical Details

ASCII Code: 62
HTML Entity: >
Hexadecimal: 0x3E
Binary: 00111110
Octal: 76

Usage & Examples

Programming

char symbol = '>'; // ASCII 62

HTML/Web

> or >

Common Uses

greaterbiggergtcomparisoninequalityprogramminghtml

How to Type This Character

Windows

Alt Code:

Hold Alt and type62 on numeric keypad

Character Map:

Search "Character Map" in Start menu

Mac

Character Viewer:

Press Ctrl +Cmd +Space

Copy & Paste:

Easiest method - copy from this page!

💡 Pro tip: The fastest way is to bookmark this page or copy the character from our ASCII library!

Related Characters

About the Greater-than sign

Quantitative Analysis

Fundamental for expressing mathematical inequalities, establishing thresholds, and comparing values in scientific research, financial analysis, and educational contexts. Essential for understanding numerical relationships and ordering.

Computational Logic

Critical for programming control structures, data validation, and algorithmic decision-making. Enables software to make logical choices, sort data, and implement conditional behaviors across all programming paradigms.

Markup Languages

Serves as the closing delimiter for HTML and XML tags (</div>, </p>), making it essential for web development and structured document creation. Fundamental to internet content architecture.

Scientific Notation

Used for expressing ranges, limits, and threshold values in scientific literature, research papers, and technical documentation. Enables precise communication of quantitative relationships and experimental conditions.

History of the Greater-than sign

1631

Harriot's Innovation

Thomas Harriot's mathematical treatise introduced both < and > symbols, creating standardized notation for greater-than relationships that revolutionized mathematical expression.

1800s

Mathematical Education

Schools worldwide adopted greater-than notation for arithmetic and algebra instruction, making inequality comparison fundamental to mathematical literacy.

1950s

Computing Applications

Programming languages integrated > for logical comparisons and conditional operations, establishing its role in computational thinking and algorithm design.

1990

Web Markup

HTML specification used > as tag closure syntax, making the symbol essential for web development and digital document structure worldwide.

2000s

Big Data Era

Data analytics and database systems extensively use > for queries, filtering, and analysis, making it crucial for modern information processing and decision support.

Cultural Impact

The greater-than symbol became essential for logical reasoning, mathematical thinking, and digital communication, enabling precise comparison and conditional logic that supports modern technology and education.

Usage Examples

Mathematical Comparison

Example

x > 5, 10 > 7 > 3, Score > 90% (grade A)

Numerical relationships and mathematical inequalities

Programming Conditions

Example

if (temperature > 100) { alert('Hot!'); }, while (i > 0)

Conditional logic and control flow in software

HTML Closing Tags

Example

</html>, </div>, </body>, </script>

Web markup structure and document formatting

Data Filtering

Example

SELECT * WHERE price > $100, Show results > date

Database queries and data analysis operations