Use a Number Line to Find the Difference with Cats

This activity focuses on counting and comparing numbers.You will be asked to work out how many more cats one child has than the other.

You can use a number line to work out the difference in the number of cats.

Example

Count how many cats Ben has and find that number on the number line.

Next, count how many cats Eve has and find that number on the number line too.

Can you count how many numbers there are in between? This is called finding the difference.

Who has more cats?

Example

How many more cats does Ben have?

Ben has 3 cats.

Eve has 1 cat.

The difference between 3 and 1 can be seen on the number line. Start at the number 3 and jump your finger backwards to the number 1, one number at a time. You'll find that your finger had to do 2 jumps. So the difference between the numbers is 2. This can be written as 3 - 1 = 2

Ben has 2 cats more than Eve.

Answer: 2

Are you ready to try some questions now?