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Adding and subtracting fractions Adding and subtracting decimals Multiplying and dividing decimals Multiplying and dividing fractions Rational numbers Multiplying and dividing integersHere you will learn about arithmetic, including key terminology and mathematical symbols, using the four operations with positive and negative integers, and inverse operations.
Students will first learn about arithmetic as part of number and operations in 4th and 5th grade and continue to build on this knowledge in the number system in 6th and 7th grade.
Arithmetic is the study of numbers and the operations between them. It is an elementary branch of mathematics.
The definition of arithmetic comes from the Greek word βarithmosβ, meaning number, or the art of counting.
To solve problems using basic arithmetic, you need to understand and use the four operations.
The four operations you will be using are: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Below is a table showing the four operations of arithmetic with their associated symbols.
Addition | Subtraction | Multiplication | Division |
Each operation has a different function that you should be confident with using.
Addition is the operation of combining two or more numbers together.
The two numbers can be represented by a and b, and c will represent the sum of a and b.
This would be written as a+b=c and pronounced a plus b is equal to c.
Addition is commutative, which means that the order in which addition is carried out does not matter.
For example,
3+4=4+3=7Addition can be done with positive and negative integers, fractions, and decimals.
Addition represents a movement up the number line. Here are some examples:
In order to solve addition problems with larger numbers, you can use the standard algorithm.
For example, 347+21 :
It is important to consider the place value of each digit and line up the corresponding digits in each number.
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DOWNLOAD FREESubtraction is the operation of finding the difference between two numbers.
The number remaining when the number b is subtracted from the number c would equal a, or the answer to a subtraction problem.
This would be written as c-b=a and pronounced c take away b is equal to a.
Subtraction is not commutative. If the order of the numbers within the calculation changes, the result will change.
For example,
7-4
Subtraction can also be done with positive and negative integers, fractions, and decimals. Subtraction represents a movement down the number line. Here are some examples:
In order to solve subtraction problems with larger numbers, you can use the standard algorithm.
For example,
89.4-3.1It is important to consider the place value of each digit and line up the corresponding digits and decimal place in each number.
Multiplication is essentially repeated addition.
If you have n copies of a, you multiply a by n to find how many are in the new set, m.
This is the same as calculating a+a+a+β¦ \, n times.
This would be written as n\times{a}=m and pronounced n times a is equal to m.
The product is the answer you get when multiplying one number by another. The multiplicand is the quantity to be multiplied by the multiplier, which will give you a product.
multiplicand \times multiplier = product
For example,
In this calculation,
6 is the multiplicand, 3 is the multiplier and the answer, 18 is the product.
The product will be 0 if either the multiplicand or multiplier is 0.
Multiplication is commutative. The order in which the calculation is performed does not matter.
For example,
3\times{4}=4\times{3}=12Multiplication can be done with positive and negative integers, fractions, and decimals. When multiplying positive and negative numbers, the following rules apply:
To solve multiplication problems with larger numbers, you can use an area model.
For example,
27 \times 35 600+210+100+35=945 27 \times 35=945Division shares or breaks a number into equal sized numbers of groups.
If the number m can be shared equally between n groups, with no remainder, then this is written as m\div{n}=a and pronounced m divided by n is equal to a.
The quotient is the answer you get when dividing one number by another.
The word quotient comes from Latin and means βhow many timesβ. When dividing, you are finding out βhow many timesβ a number goes into another number.
dividend \div divisor = quotient
For example,
In this calculation,
8 is the dividend, 4 is the divisor and the answer, 2 is the quotient.
The quotient will only be 0 if the dividend is 0 but the divisor is not.
For example,
0 \div 8 = 0Unlike multiplication, division is not commutative. If the order of the numbers within the calculation changes, the result will change.
12\div{4}
Division can also be done with positive and negative integers, fractions, and decimals. When dividing positive and negative numbers, the following rules apply:
To perform division problems with larger numbers, you can use long division.
For example,
452.1 \div 3Inverse operations reverse an operation that has been carried out. Below is a table outlining some operations along with their inverse operations.
Operation | Inverse Operation |
---|---|
Addition (+) | Subtraction (-) |
Multiplication (\times) | Division (\div) |
Note that you can switch the columns so the inverse operation of subtraction is addition and the inverse operation of division is multiplication, etc.
Using the inverse operations helps us see relationships between numbers and are often referred to as fact families. Fact families show the relationship between the same set of numbers, just as inverse operations do.
Step-by-step guide: Inverse operations
When solving problems involving basic arithmetic operations, it is important to apply the order of operations, or PEMDAS. PEMDAS tells us what order to perform the operations in.
Parentheses
Exponents
Multiplication
Division
Addition
Subtraction
In the calculation
3+4 \times 2,multiplication should be done before the addition.
3+4 \times 2=3+8=11How does this relate to 4th, 5th, and 6th grade math?
In order to use arithmetic with positive and negative numbers:
Calculate the value of 10.9+34.3.
Here you will use addition.
2Perform the chosen operation.
Using the standard algorithm, you have:
Starting on the right, the tenths place, you add 9+3=12. The tenths column value of 2 is placed below the answer line, and the 1 is carried above the addition problem, so that you can add it to the next column total (the units column).
Adding 0, 4, and the 1 that was carried from the tenths column, you have 0+4+1=5 and so 5 goes into the answer bar for the units column.
The final column requires us to add 1 and 3, \, 1+3=4 and so you put a 4 in the tens column.
So 10.9+34.3=45.2.
96 mathematicians attended a celebration party at a hotel. 38 mathematicians stayed overnight. How many mathematicians did not stay overnight?
Determine which operation you will use.
Here you will use subtraction. You need to solve 96-38.
Perform the chosen operation.
Writing subtraction using the standard algorithm, you have:
Starting from the units column, 6-8 is a negative number, so you have to borrow from the tens column.
16-8=8 and so the value for the units column is 8.
Continuing with the tens column, you have 8-3=5.
58 guests did not stay overnight.
A sack can hold 36 potatoes. A farmer packs 24 sacks of potatoes with no leftover potatoes. How many potatoes does the farmer pack?
Determine which operation you will use.
As there are 36 potatoes per sack and 24 sacks, you will multiply these values.
Perform the chosen operation.
Using the area model, you have:
By multiplying each row value by each column value, you get:
Adding the new values in the area model, you have:
The farmer packs 864 potatoes.
A bar of chocolate is made up of 84 individual cubes. The bar is 6 cubes wide. How many rows does the chocolate bar have?
Determine which operation you will use.
Each column contains 6 cubes and there are 84 cubes in total. You will need to divide 84 by 6 to determine the number of rows in the chocolate bar.
Perform the chosen operation.
Using partial quotients, you have:
You will think of a multiple of 6 that will get you as close to 84, without going over.
6 \times 10=60
84-60=24
You will think of another multiple of 6 that will get you as close to 24 as possible, without going over.
\begin{aligned} & 6 \times 4=24 \\\\ & 24-24=0 \end{aligned}
You will add your two partial quotients together 10 + 4 = 14.
The chocolate bar has 14 rows.
Calculate (-3)+(-2).
Determine which operation you will use.
Here, you are solving an addition problem with the two negative numbers.
Perform the chosen operation.
+ and - together make a - therefore
-3+-2=-3-2=-5
Calculate 5-(-3).
Determine which operation you will use.
Here you will subtract -3 from 5.
Perform the chosen operation.
Two - signs together make a + therefore
5--3=5+3=8
Calculate 8\times(-2).
Determine which operation you will use.
Here you will use multiplication.
Perform the chosen operation.
8\times(-2)=-16.
Calculate \cfrac{-120}{-3}.
Determine which operation you will use.
A fraction is the division of two quantities and so here you would use division. The numerator is known as the dividend and the denominator is known as the divisor. The result of division is called a quotient.
Perform the chosen operation.
1. Calculate 8.4+10.7.
Stack the numbers, lining up the decimal points and place values.
Add from right to left, regrouping when necessary.
The answer is 19.1.
2. I bought an item for \$25.13. How much change did I get from \$30?
Stack the numbers, the larger number on top, lining up the decimal points and place values.
Subtract from right to left, regrouping when necessary.
The answer is 4.87.
3. Calculate the 7 th multiple of 9.
List the first multiple of 9 which is 1 \times 9=9.
List the second multiple of 9 which is 2 \times 9=18.
Continue this pattern until you have 7 multiples.
3 \times 9=27
4 \times 9=36
5 \times 9=45
6 \times 9=54
7 \times 9=63
The answer is 63.
4. 120 high school students are divided into small research groups. If there are 20 groups, how many students are in each group?
You need to divide 120 by 20.
You can use mental math to find the solution to this division problem.
You can split the dividend, 120, into two parts that can be easily divided by 20.
120 = 100 + 20
Then using math facts, divide both parts by 20.
100 \div 20=5
20 \div 20=1
120\div{20}=6
5. A New York hotel comprises 67 floors above ground and 4 floors below ground. A guest parks on floor -3, in the basement, and is staying on the 43 rd floor of the hotel. How many floors must he go up to get from his car to his hotel room?
You will subtract 43 and -3.
43- \, -3
Two – signs together make a + therefore,
so 43- \, -3=43+3
43+3 = 46
The answer is 46 floors.
6. Anna buys a car for \$9,000. She pays a deposit of \$2,400 and pays the rest off in monthly installments of \$110 per month. How many months will Anna be paying for her car?
104 months
22 months
60 months
66 months
This is a two-step problem.
The first step requires subtraction to calculate the remaining amount to pay for the car.
The car was \$9,000 and Anna paid a deposit of \$2,400.
9000-2400=6600
The second step will require division of the remaining amount, \$6,600 by 110, the payment Anna will make each month.
6600\div{110}=60
The answer is 60 months.
7. Calculate \cfrac{5}{6}+\cfrac{4}{7}.
First, you will need to find a common denominator between the two fractions. To do this, list the multiples of each number until you find one that both have in common.
You will also need to fix the numerators by multiplying them by the same factor you multiplied the denominator by.
Now that the denominators are the same, you can add the numerators together.
\cfrac{35}{42}+\cfrac{24}{42}=\cfrac{59}{42} \, \text { or } 1 \cfrac{17}{42}
\cfrac{5}{6}+\cfrac{4}{7}=\cfrac{59}{42} \, \text { or } 1 \cfrac{17}{42}
Yes, arithmetic is a branch of math that refers to the basic counting of numbers and using operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Algebra is a branch of math that deals with variables and numbers for solving problems.
A negative number is a number that is less than zero.
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