More, more, more! Addition is all about making more of something, whether it’s making a number bigger or giving someone more of what they need or want. It’s also a crucial skill to understand if you hope to become a maths expert. With a little bit of practice and a whole lot of determination, you’ll get addition down in no time!
Like subtraction, addition starts simple but gets more involved as you climb through primary school. You can learn different skills to solve your addition problems with ease — and prepare for addition in the real world! Let’s take a closer look at the fun things you can do with addition.
Find out how addition can help you understand how to multiply numbers together.
Learn what “finding the sum” means and how to add two numbers together to get it.
Learn about this foundational concept when tackling addition problems.
See how grouping digits can help us break down an addition equation!
Find out how addition can help you understand how to multiply numbers together.
Learn what “finding the sum” means and how to add two numbers together to get it.
Learn about this foundational concept when tackling addition problems.
See how grouping digits can help us break down an addition equation!
Addition is all about finding the sum, or the combined value of two or more numbers.
We call numbers we are adding together ‘addends’, but most people hardly ever use that term!
To find the sum of two or more numbers, you take a number like 5 and then another number, like 7, and try to figure out what number you get if you combine those two. In this case, 5 + 7 will get you 12.
The + symbol is called a ‘plus sign’, and it’s the symbol we use to show that we need to add two numbers together.
We use an equal sign, which looks like =, to show what the value of the added numbers is. Get used to these symbols – you’re going to be seeing them a lot!
There aren’t as many terms you will need to know to understand addition as there are to understand subtraction. You need to know two basic terms to understand the definition of addition:
There are plenty of strategies you can use to solve addition problems. Some of the most common include using a number line, counting on your fingers, visualizing the problem (turning each addend into a picture so you can ‘see’ how many you have when you put them together), and more. Explore these strategies in the Skills section above.
You will begin to practice addition in Year 1 of primary school. You might receive three blocks, and your teacher asks you to take two more blocks. How many blocks do you have now? In year 2, you will start to practice addition problems, then learn how to solve more advanced expressions in KS2.
Yes, you can add fractions together. You’ll likely tackle these types of problems in KS2. Your teacher will show you how to add fractions with like and unlike denominators. When adding fractions with unlike denominators, you’ll need to make sure the denominators are the same. This means you will have to understand multiplication to successfully add fractions.
All the time! You will use addition to predict how much money you’ll have after getting paid, how many items you will need for projects and hobbies, how many RSVPs you have received for a birthday party, and so much more! It’s one of the most important maths skills you can learn.
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