BACK TO WORKSHEETS
We are using maths all the time, although we often don't realise it!
Just think about when we buy a new book. We need to make sure that we have enough money to pay for it and be able to check that we are given the correct change!
.jpg)
What about playing a board game - we need to be able to add up the scores correctly!
These are just two examples of how we use maths every day.
In this activity, we are going to practise using addition and subtraction to answer some tricky word problems.
In each question, we will have to do more than one calculation, so reading the question carefully is very important!
Example
Harley is saving up to buy a new scooter.
He receives £96 birthday money and saves £22.50 of his pocket money.
The scooter is on offer at £159.99
How much more money does Harley need in order to buy the scooter?
Answer
We need to identify the key information - it's a good idea to highlight it when you spot it!
Harley receives a total of £118.50 (96 + 22.50)
The scooter costs £159.99
The question asks us to find how much more money Harley needs, so we need to find the difference, which means subtraction.
£159.99 - £118.50 = £41.49
Harley needs another £41.49
Column addition and subtraction would work well for these calculations.
We must ensure we put each digit in the correct column.
Now let's look at another example.
There is quite a lot of information here, so the important stuff is highlighted for us.
We need to read the question carefully and think about what it is asking us to do.
Pens cost £1.05 each and pencils cost 86p each.
How much change would we get from £10 if we bought 3 pens and 2 pencils?
Answer
First, we need to work out the cost of 3 pens.
£1.05 + £1.05 + £1.05 = £3.15 (315p)
Next, we work out the cost of 2 pencils.
86p + 86p = £1.72 (172p)
Next, we add together the two totals.
£3.15 + £1.72 = £4.87
Finally, we subtract £4.87 from £10 to find out how much change there would be.
£10 - £4.87 = £5.13 (1,000 - 487 = 513)
There would be £5.13 change.
Using a number line to find the difference between 487 and 1,000 might help here, or we could do it mentally!
Now, why don't you have a go at some questions like these?
Remember to read the question carefully and highlight the important information!
