Greater than and less than are symbols that help us compare numbers and understand which one is bigger or smaller.
The greater than symbol > means "bigger than." For example, 5 > 3 means that 5 is bigger than 3.
The less than symbol < means "smaller than." For example, 3 < 5 means that 3 is smaller than 5.
So if you have two numbers, you can use these symbols to tell which one is greater or smaller, and whether one number is bigger or smaller than the other. It's like comparing heights, but with numbers instead!