Question 1

Is there another way to subtract?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  There is a system called Vedic math with a variety of tricks for subtraction, multiplication, division, and even algebra.  If you google Vedic math, you might find some tricks that you like!

Here’s a Vedic method of subtraction.
For each column where we subtract a larger digit from a smaller digit, we put down the difference but put a bar on top of the digit (for example, subtracting 5-7 gives 2bar).  Think of bar digits as “negative” digits.

Then we need to convert our answer to a normal number without bar digits.

For each group of bar digits, we treat any group of 0’s immediately to the left of the group as bar digits as well.

Then we use the rule “subtract all from 9 except last from 10” within each group of bar digits, and subtract 1 from the normal (nonzero) digit immediately to the left of the group.

Example:  5234197-1439428

From left to right:
5-1=4, 2-4=2bar, 3-3=0, 4-9=5bar, 1-4=3bar, 9-2=7, 7-8=1bar.

So we have

4 2bar 0 5bar 3bar 7 1bar.

Place a bar on the 0 because it’s immediately to the left of a group of bar digits.  Now we have

4 2bar 0bar 5bar 3bar 7 1bar.

We now have two groups of bar digits.  Subtracting all from 9 except last from 10 within each group and subtracting 1 from the digit just left of each group gives final answer 3794769.

Question 2

Do you subtract 3 digit numbers like you add 3 digit numbers?

Accepted Answer

no subtraction is slightly diffrence when regrooping

Question 3

how is it possible to subtract with negatives?

Accepted Answer

Subtracting a negative number is the same thing as adding its opposite.  The opposite of -6, for example, is 6.  So 5 minus negative 6 is the same thing as 5 plus 6.

Question 4

When I learn how to use negative numbers, would it be strange for me to not regroup, but to allow the ones place to go negative?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no.  If you were doing 86 - 19, you would not want to write the answer as 7-3 or 7negative3.
However, because 80 - 10 = 70 and 6 - 9 = -3, you can think of the answer as 3 *less* than 70, which would be 67.

Have a blessed, wonderful day!

Question 5

what if there is 0 in the middle?

Accepted Answer

You go on to the next best digit. Here's an example:
 406
-137
____
To start, you would subtract the 7 in 137 from the 6 in 406. Since 7 is bigger than 6, you would have to "borrow" 1 from the 0, but you can't. Instead, you would move on to the 4 in 406, take a 1 from it and "give" it to the 0, so it's now 10, then you would take 1 from the 10, so it's now 9, and add it to the 6, so it's now 16. Now it looks like this:
      
 39 (1)6
-137
____
Now you go on about how you would normally do it, and there you  go! The answer is 269!

Question 6

Isn't addition used in a way to check you answer in subtraction. How do you do it?

Accepted Answer

Its quite simple really,  you add the answer from the subtraction problems to one of the numbers in the subtraction problem, and if the number equals the other number, then u did it right, for an example,           20 - 15 = 5, so you do 5+15 = 20 if this is correct then your answer is correct

Question 7

Thank you, but I have one more question... If you need to regroup 4 zeros and the top number is 1 how would  you get the answer if there is not enough tens or hundreds to go around?

Accepted Answer

You can just keep regrouping! Here's an example:
10,000 = 10,000 + 000 + 00 + 0
10,000  = 9,000 + 1,000 + 00 + 0
10,000 = 9,000 + 900 + 100 + 0
10,000 = 9,000 + 900 + 90 + 10

so if you we're subtracting 9,897 from 10,000 you could do the following:

10,000 = 9,000 + 900 + 90 + 10 
  9,897 = 9,000 + 800 + 90 +7
 giving you: (9,000 - 9,000) + (900 - 800) + (90-90) + (10-7)
which equals: 0,000 + 100 + 00 + 3
finally giving you the number:   103

In this way, you can never run out of places (as long as your top number is larger than you're bottom number!)

Question 8

Could we use the standard method tu subtract a multi-digit number that is larger than the number we are subtracting from? (e.g. 104-137)

Accepted Answer

You could find 137-104 using the standard method (or another valid method). Then attach a negative sign in front of your answer.

Question 9

what happens if you don't have enough to subtract from the number like 96-100

Accepted Answer

You go into negatives. 96 - 100 = -4, because 100 is 4 more than 96. If you don't have enough to subtract a number from a lower one, the answer is in negatives.

Question 10

Would you be able to  subtract  odd fractions with different denominators?

Accepted Answer

No.You need the denominators to be the same size in order to subtract fractions..

Get ready for 4th grade

Course: Get ready for 4th grade > Unit 2

Worked example: Subtracting 3-digit numbers (regrouping)

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