Lesson 2.3 · Word Problems
Comparing problems
Who has more? How many more? A comparing problem looks at two groups side by side to find the difference between them.
Line them up
Put the two groups in rows. Match them one to one.
Jo: 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓
Ben: 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓
The first 4 match up. Jo has 3 extra. So Jo has 3 more than Ben. Ben has 3 fewer than Jo.
The extra part is the difference. You can find it by subtracting: .
How many more? How many fewer?
To find how many more or how many fewer, subtract the smaller number from the bigger number.
The answer is the difference. It is the same number both ways.
Worked example: How many more?
Pia has 9 stickers. Tom has 5 stickers. How many more stickers does Pia have than Tom?
Subtract the smaller from the bigger: . Pia has 4 more stickers.
Worked example: How many fewer?
There are 13 cats and 8 dogs at a shelter. How many fewer dogs than cats are there?
Subtract: . You can check by counting up from 8: nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen. That is 5. There are 5 fewer dogs.
When you know the difference
Sometimes the story tells you the difference. Then you find one of the groups.
Worked example: Find the bigger group
Max has 6 blocks. Lily has 4 more blocks than Max. How many blocks does Lily have?
Lily has the same as Max and 4 more. Add: . Lily has 10 blocks.
Common mistake
The word "fewer" does not always mean subtract! "Sue has 2 fewer than Al. Sue has 5." Al has more, so Al has . Always ask: who has more? The one with more is the bigger number.
Practice
Ivy has 8 shells. Dan has 6 shells. How many more shells does Ivy have?
Type a number.
How many more hearts than stars?
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Type a number.
A red team scored 11 points. A blue team scored 5 points. How many fewer points did the blue team score?
Type a number.
Ella read 8 books. Finn read 4 more books than Ella. How many books did Finn read?
Type a number.
Gus has 15 cards. Ray has 9 cards. Which is true?
Hana has 10 beads. Owen has 3 fewer beads than Hana. How many beads does Owen have?
Type a number.
Lucy has 5 fewer toy cars than Nick. Lucy has 8 toy cars. How many does Nick have?
Type a number.