Subtract numbers up to five digits: word problems
Key notes:
| 🔹 Key Points to Remember: |
Subtraction means taking away or finding the difference between two numbers.
In word problems, subtraction is used when:
- Something is taken away.
- We need to find how much is left.
- We compare two quantities (how much more/less).
Steps to solve word problems:
- Step 1: Read the problem carefully.
- Step 2: Identify the larger number (total) and the smaller number (part).
- Step 3: Write the subtraction statement.
- Step 4: Subtract the numbers (use column method if needed).
- Step 5: Write the final answer in a sentence.
| 🔹 Examples: |
Example 1:
A factory produced 25,436 toys in a year. Out of them, 13,289 toys were sold. How many toys are left?
- 👉 Subtraction:
- 25,436 – 13,289 = 12,147
- ✅ Answer: 12,147 toys are left.
Example 2:
A school has 18,752 books in its library. If 9,635 books were borrowed by students, how many books are still in the library?
- 👉 Subtraction:
18,752 – 9,635 = 9,117 - ✅ Answer: 9,117 books are still in the library.
Example 3:
A stadium can hold 50,000 people. On a match day, 37,865 people attended. How many seats were empty?
- 👉 Subtraction:
50,000 – 37,865 = 12,135 - ✅ Answer: 12,135 seats were empty.
| 🔹 Practice Questions: |
- A farmer harvested 42,368 mangoes. He sold 28,954 mangoes in the market. How many mangoes are left?
- A city has a population of 34,675. Out of them, 12,486 people are children. How many are adults?
- A factory made 29,500 chairs. If 17,845 were delivered to shops, how many are yet to be delivered?
- A train traveled 45,620 km in a year. Out of these, 28,975 km were during the rainy season. How many kilometers were traveled in other seasons?
- A concert hall has 22,000 seats. If 17,569 people attended the concert, how many seats were vacant?
Learn with an example
Recently, the value of Shawna’s university savings fund decreased by ₹6. If her fund was worth ₹3,254 before,
how much is it worth now?
Subtract the amount the fund decreased from the total amount.
Subtract:
3,254− 6
You can count backward to subtract.
Start from 3254 and count back 6.
3,254, 3,253, 3,252, 3,251, 3,250, 3,249, 3,248
3,254 − 6 =3,248
The difference is 3,248. Shawna’s university savings fund is worth ₹3,248 now.
🎯 Oakland Lake was originally blue because it only had 3,428 algae plants. Now there are 8,743 algae plants, and the lake has turned green.
How many more algae plants are in Oakland Lake now?
_______​ algae plants
Subtract the number of algae plants Oakland Lake had from the number of algae plants it has now.
Subtract:
Subtract the ones. You need to carry over first. Subtract 13 − 8.
Subtract the tens. Subtract 3 − 2.
Subtract the hundreds.
Subtract the thousands.
The difference is 5,315. There are 5,315 more algae plants in Oakland Lake now.
🎯 Before the recent housing boom, there were 549 houses in Jasper County. Now, there are 4,515 houses.
How many houses did developers build during the housing boom?
​ _____ houses
Subtract the number of houses before the boom from the number of houses now.
Subtract:
Subtract the ones. You need to carry over first. Subtract 15 − 9.
Subtract the tens. You need to carry over first. Subtract 10 − 4.
Subtract the hundreds. You need to carry over first. Subtract 14 − 5.
Subtract the thousands.
The difference is 3,966. Developers built 3,966 houses in Jasper County during the housing boom.
Let’s practice!
