Take away or difference?

Hello, and welcome to Myriora Maths! Take away and difference both use the minus sign. But they ask different questions. Let's look at both!

You have eight cookies. You eat three of them. How many are left? Count the ones that are left: one, two, three, four, five. Eight take away three leaves five.

We write it like this. Eight, minus three, equals five. The minus sign can mean take away.

Now a different question. Ben has eight cars. Mia has three cars. How many more cars does Ben have? Nobody takes anything away this time! Line the cars up in pairs. Five of Ben's cars have no partner. So Ben has five more. That's called the difference.

Why do both use minus? In both questions, we start with eight, and three of them don't count. Take away removes them. Comparing pairs them off. Either way, five are left over. So both are eight minus three.

On a number line, the difference is the gap between two numbers. Start at three. Count the hops up to eight: one, two, three, four, five. We land on eight. The gap is five.

Let's try one together. Tom has seven stickers. Sam has four stickers. How many more stickers does Tom have? Say it out loud!

Line them up in pairs. Three of Tom's stickers have no partner. So Tom has three more. Seven minus four is three!

Here's a question that catches lots of people. Ben has nine cars, and Mia has six. How many more cars does Ben have? Some people see the word more, and add: nine plus six is fifteen. But how many more means find the difference. Nine minus six is three.

Your turn! There are ten balloons, and four of them pop. How many balloons are left? Pick the right card. You've got fifteen seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! Four balloons pop, so we take four away. Ten take away four leaves six. Six balloons are left!

Quick review. Take away means some are removed: how many are left? Difference means compare: how many more? And both are written with the minus sign. See you next time!