Solving Comparison Word Problems

Core Concepts

Master word problems that ask you to compare two amounts using phrases like 'how many more' or 'how many fewer'. These problems use subtraction to find the difference.

Solving Comparison Word Problems

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When a problem asks "how many more?" or "how many fewer?", what single operation will almost always give you the answer?

Subtraction ($-$). These phrases ask you to find the difference between two quantities.

Dan has $12$ toy cars. Ben has $8$ toy cars. How many more cars does Dan have than Ben?

To compare, subtract the smaller number from the larger number: $12 - 8 = 4$. Dan has $4$ more cars.

A giraffe is $18$ feet tall. A zebra is $5$ feet tall. How much taller is the giraffe than the zebra?

Find the difference in their heights by subtracting: $18 - 5 = 13$. The giraffe is $13$ feet taller.

Maria's plant is $25$ cm tall. Noah's plant is $32$ cm tall. How much shorter is Maria's plant?

Find the difference by subtracting the smaller height from the larger one: $32 - 25 = 7$. Maria's plant is $7$ cm shorter.

The red team scored $45$ points. The blue team scored $38$ points. How many fewer points did the blue team score?

Compare the scores by finding the difference: $45 - 38 = 7$. The blue team scored $7$ fewer points.

Tom is saving $$75$ for a bike. He has saved $$50$ so far. How much more money does he need to save?

Subtract the amount he has from the total cost to find how much is still needed: $75 - 50 = 25$. He needs to save $$25$ more.

A recipe calls for $3$ cups of flour. You only have $1$ cup. How many more cups of flour do you need?

Find the difference between what is needed and what you have: $3 - 1 = 2$. You need $2$ more cups of flour.

A school bus drove $15$ miles on Monday and $22$ miles on Tuesday. How many more miles did it drive on Tuesday than on Monday?

Subtract Monday's miles from Tuesday's miles to find the difference: $22 - 15 = 7$. It drove $7$ more miles on Tuesday.

Solving Comparison Word Problems

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