Adding a positive integer to a positive integer

Add To Problem: The most straightforward type of word problem for adding a positive integer to a positive integer is to simply add B objects to A similar objects to get A + B objects in total. For example,

• Arithmetic problem: Solve 7 + 4.
• Word problem: Susi has 7 toy cars, while Felix has 4 toy cars. How many toy cars do Susi and Felix have together?
• 7 + 4 = 11, so Susi and Felix have 11 toy cars together.

Subtracting a positive integer from a larger positive integer

Take From Problem: One type of word problem for subtracting a positive integer from a larger positive integer is to take B objects from A objects to leave A – B objects. For example,

• Arithmetic problem: Solve 7 – 4.
• Word problem: Susi has 7 toy cars and Felix took 4 of Susi’s cars away. How many toy cars does Susi have left?
• 7 – 4 = 3, so Susi has 3 toy cars left.

Compare Problem: Another type of word problem for subtracting a positive integer from a larger positive integer is to consider the difference between B objects and A similar objects. For example,

• Arithmetic problem: Solve 7 – 4.
• Word problem: Susi has 7 toy cars, while Felix has 4 toy cars. How many more toy cars does Susi have than Felix?
• 7 – 4 = 3, so Susi has 3 more toy cars than Felix.

The video below works through some examples of word problems for adding and subtracting with positive integers.