01 Key Concepts
Difference
The result of subtracting one number from another.
Minuend and Subtrahend
In a - b, a is the minuend (starting amount) and b is the subtrahend (amount removed).
Borrowing
When a digit in the minuend is smaller than the digit below it, borrow 1 from the next column to the left.
Subtraction is Not Commutative
a - b is generally not equal to b - a.
Checking Your Answer
Add the difference back to the subtrahend; it should equal the minuend.
03 Key Formulas
- Difference = Minuend - Subtrahend
04 Solved Examples
Example 1 Subtract 542 - 187.
- Ones: 2-7, borrow: 12-7=5.
- Tens: 3(after borrow)-8, borrow: 13-8=5.
- Hundreds: 4(after borrow)-1=3.
Answer: 355
Example 2 Subtract 1,000 - 456.
- Borrow across the zeros: 1,000 becomes 9 hundreds, 9 tens, 10 ones (conceptually).
- Ones: 10-6=4.
- Tens: 9-5=4.
- Hundreds: 9-4=5.
Answer: 544
Example 3 Check that 830 - 245 = 585 is correct.
- Add the difference back to the subtrahend: 585 + 245.
- 585 + 245 = 830, which matches the minuend.
Answer: Correct
05 Practice Questions
174 - 29 = ?
45
2300 - 158 = ?
142
31,205 - 486 = ?
719
4Is 9 - 4 the same as 4 - 9?
No, subtraction is not commutative
5500 - 500 = ?
0
📄 Subtraction — Downloadable Worksheet
10 questions with a full answer key. Grab the PDF to print, or try the interactive version in your browser.