Subtraction for Class 1 Maths

What is Subtraction? (Taking Away)

Subtraction is one of the most important ideas in maths. Think of it as 'taking away'. Imagine you have a bunch of 6 colourful balloons. Whoosh! The wind blows and 2 balloons fly away. How many do you have now? To find out, you subtract! You started with 6, and you 'took away' 2. You are left with 4 balloons.

In maths, we have a special symbol for subtraction. It's called the minus sign and it looks like this: -. When you see this sign, it means you need to take away a number. We also use the equals sign (=) to show what the answer is.

So, for our balloon story, we would write it like this:

6 - 2 = 4

This is a number sentence. It says, 'Six minus two equals four'. It's a short and sweet way to tell the story of the lost balloons!

Let's Learn How to Subtract!

1. Step 1: Count All the Items — First, look at the group of objects and count how many there are in total. Let's say you have 5 juicy mangoes.
2. Step 2: Find the Number to Take Away — Next, read the problem to see how many items you need to subtract or take away. Let's say you eat 3 mangoes.
3. Step 3: Cross Out the Items — Draw the 5 mangoes on a paper. Now, put a cross (X) on 3 of the mangoes. This shows they are gone!
4. Step 4: Count What is Left — Count the mangoes that do not have a cross on them. You will see there are 2 mangoes left. So, 5 - 3 = 2. That's your answer!

Let's Solve Some Problems Together!

• Problem: There are 8 frogs sitting on a log. 5 frogs jump into the water. How many frogs are left on the log? Solution: We start with 8 frogs. We take away 5 frogs. The number sentence is: 8 - 5 = ? Let's draw 8 circles. Now, cross out 5 circles. How many circles are left? 3. Answer: 8 - 5 = 3. There are 3 frogs left on the log.
• Problem: Riya has 9 flowers. She gives 4 flowers to her mother. How many flowers does Riya have now? Solution: Riya starts with 9 flowers. She gives away 4 flowers. The number sentence is: 9 - 4 = ? Let's use our fingers. Hold up 9 fingers. Now, put down 4 fingers one by one. How many fingers are still up? 5. Answer: 9 - 4 = 5. Riya has 5 flowers now.

Things to Remember About Subtraction

• The minus sign (–) always means to take away or find the difference.
• When we subtract, the answer is smaller than the number we started with (unless we subtract 0).
• Subtracting zero from a number doesn't change it. For example, 7 - 0 = 7.
• Subtracting a number from itself always gives zero. For example, 5 - 5 = 0.
• You can draw pictures, use your fingers, or count backwards to help you find the answer.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: There were 7 butterflies in a garden. 2 flew away. How many butterflies are left? A: Step 1: We start with the total number of butterflies, which is 7. Step 2: We take away the number of butterflies that flew away, which is 2. Step 3: The subtraction problem is 7 - 2. Step 4: Counting back 2 from 7: 6, 5. Final answer: There are 5 butterflies left.
• Q: Sam had 10 chocolates. He ate 6 of them. How many chocolates are left with Sam? A: Step 1: Sam started with 10 chocolates. Step 2: He ate 6 chocolates, so we need to take away 6. Step 3: The subtraction problem is 10 - 6. Step 4: Imagine 10 fingers. Put down 6. You have 4 fingers left up. Final answer: Sam has 4 chocolates left.
• Q: A shopkeeper had 8 toy cars. He sold 8 toy cars. How many are left? A: Step 1: The shopkeeper had 8 toy cars. Step 2: He sold all 8 toy cars, so we take away 8. Step 3: The subtraction problem is 8 - 8. Step 4: When you take away a number from itself, the answer is always zero. Final answer: There are 0 toy cars left.
• Q: There are 6 children playing in a park. 1 child goes home. How many children are still playing? A: Step 1: There are 6 children in total. Step 2: 1 child goes away, so we subtract 1. Step 3: The problem is 6 - 1. Step 4: The number that comes just before 6 is 5. So, 6 - 1 = 5. Final answer: There are 5 children still playing.

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