Adding means putting groups together to find the total. Subtracting means taking away from a group to find what is left.
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Key Concepts
- Addition (+): When we join two groups, we add to find the total.
- 3 + 4 = 7 (read as "3 plus 4 equals 7")
- Subtraction (-): When we take away some from a group, we subtract to find what remains.
- 7 - 3 = 4 (read as "7 minus 3 equals 4")
Zero in addition: Adding 0 to any number gives the same number. Example: 5 + 0 = 5.
Zero in subtraction: Subtracting 0 from any number gives the same number. Example: 6 - 0 = 6.
Fact families: Addition and subtraction are related. If 2 + 5 = 7, then 7 - 5 = 2 and 7 - 2 = 5.
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Sita had 3 apples. She got 4 more. How many does she have? 3 + 4 = 7.
Ravi had 8 sweets. He gave 3 to his friend. How many are left? 8 - 3 = 5.
0 birds are on a branch. 6 more land on it. How many now? 0 + 6 = 6.
I had 9 balloons. All 9 burst. How many are left? 9 - 9 = 0.
4 + 3 = 7. So 7 - 4 = 3 and 7 - 3 = 4 (fact family).
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Common mistakes
- Addition does not change the order of the answer: 3 + 5 = 5 + 3 = 8.
- In subtraction, the bigger number always comes first. We cannot do 3 - 7 at this level.
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Summary
Addition (+) joins groups; subtraction (-) takes away. Both operations use numbers 1 to 9, and they are linked through fact families.