Addition and Subtraction

We've hit this idea a few times on previous pages. We just wanted to take a moment and look at the way different operations compare with others. Starting with addition and subtraction, we find two opposite ideas. Addition puts things together and subtraction takes things away. Word problems might have you putting nuts in a bucket just as quickly as they will have you take them out. Those actions are addition and subtraction. Every person (EVERY person) in the world uses addition and subtraction every day. It might not always be super-tough addition or subtraction, but the operations are there.

Addition and Multiplication

Addition and multiplication are related because they put things together. In biology, another word for reproduction is multiplication. The number of snakes in a specific field might multiply. You would start with four (4) and a few months later you might have sixteen (16). Multiplication is about increasing the number of groups.

Addition is about putting two or three groups together to make a larger group. Addition might take one group of six, add it to another group of six, add it another group of six, and finish off with another group of six. Multiplication takes the shortcut by saying make a group of four groups of six. They both get the same answer, but multiplication is much faster.

Multiplication and Division

Multiplication and division are not exact opposites like addition and subtraction, but they are closely related. Multiplication puts groups of objects together. How many blocks are in five (5) groups of seven (7) blocks? You get thirty-five (35) blocks for an answer. Division is like the reverse action of multiplication. It takes a larger group and breaks it down into smaller groups. Using the same values, a division problem would start with thirty-five (35) blocks and break them into smaller groups of seven (7) blocks. How many smaller groups would there be? That division problem would give you an answer of five (5). Look at the example written out and you should see the pattern. It's almost like we just switched the symbols around.

5 x 7 = 35 (Multiplication)
35 ÷ 7 = 5 (Division)
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-	Subtraction
-	Multiplication
-	Division
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