Taking Away Objects

🎯 What You'll Learn

You will learn what subtraction means by taking objects away from a group and counting what remains.

🏪 Market Story

Amina has 8 groundnuts on her plate. She eats 3 of them. She counts what is left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There are 5 groundnuts remaining. Taking away is called subtraction.

📝 Let's Learn

Subtraction means taking away from a group to find how many are left. We use the − sign (called "minus").

8 − 3 = 5. We say: "Eight minus three equals five."

Example 1: Emeka has 7 biscuits. He gives 2 to his sister. 7 − 2 = 5 biscuits left.

Example 2: There are 10 birds on a tree. 4 fly away. 10 − 4 = 6 birds left.

Example 3: Bola has 9 crayons. She loses 3. 9 − 3 = 6 crayons left.

Tip: You can use objects to help. Start with the total, take some away, and count what remains.

✏️ Practice Questions

1. Chidi has 6 oranges. He eats 2. How many are left?
2. There are 10 children playing. 3 go home. How many are still playing?
3. Funke has 8 pencils. She gives 5 to her friend. How many does she have now?

Click to see answers

1. 6 − 2 = 4 oranges.
2. 10 − 3 = 7 children.
3. 8 − 5 = 3 pencils.

💡 Remember

Subtraction means taking away. Start with the total, remove some, and count what's left. The minus sign (−) tells you to subtract.