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How Do You Subtract Decimals?

Find the difference between two numbers with decimals:

Summary

  1. "Find the Difference" is a fancy way of saying "Subtract"
  2. Notice that '10.6' has one number after the decimal, and '1.75' has two
  3. Stack the two numbers so their decimals line up
  4. A trailing zero is needed after '10.6' so we can properly perform subtraction
  5. Subtract as you normally would, ignoring the decimals at first
  6. Drop the decimal down to the answer

Notes

    1. Subtraction of numbers with decimals requires you to line up the decimals
    1. Subtraction of numbers with decimals requires you to line up the decimals
    1. Subtraction of numbers with decimals requires you to line up the decimals
    1. Subtraction of numbers with decimals requires you to line up the decimals
    2. Notice that '10.6' has one number after the decimal, while '1.75' has two
    1. Subtraction of numbers with decimals requires you to line up the decimals
    1. Placeholders are necessary when you have "nothing minus a number", or "nothing plus a number"
    1. With the decimals lined up, there is nothing above the '5' so we need to add a trailing zero here
    1. We could add as many trailing zeros as we want, but we only need one in this case
    1. Subtract as you normally would, ignoring the decimals at first
    2. After subtracting, follow the line of decimals
    3. Drop the decimal down to the answer