Use Inverse Operations to Check a Calculation

In this activity, we will be learning how to decide which two inverse operations will take you back to your original number.

Remember that the inverse of an operation is what you must do to take you back to your original number.

So, the inverse of addition is subtraction, and vice versa; the inverse of multiplication is division and vice versa.

Example

Work out the following and check using inverse operations:

(72 + 57) × 12 = __________

Answer

(72 + 57) × 12 = 1,548

The check for this, using the two inverse operations, is as follows:

1,548 ÷ 12 - 57 = 72

Does that make sense?

Let's begin the questions now and test out our reversing skills!