Adding and Subtracting Decimals

Welcome to NurseHub’s Lesson on Adding and Subtracting Decimals. This lesson will help to prepare you for the Math section of your TEAS exam.

Learning Goals:

• Add and subtract decimals with differing place values

Why is this skill important to know?

Decimas provide us with more accurate values than just using whole numbers. Knowing how to combine decimals using addition or subtraction will be essential in using anything from currency, medication amounts, or small incremental changes in anything.

Key Vocabulary:

• Decimals – a number with a period in it that represents numbers and amounts that are in between whole numbers

Key Points:

1. Line up numbers by their place values when adding and subtracting.
2. If no decimal point exists, it goes to the right of the number in the ones place.
3. You can add a zero to the end of a number to the right of a decimal point without changing the value of a number.
4. If there is an empty spot in a place value, you may add a zero.
5. Once everything is correctly lined up, add or subtract as if they were whole numbers.
6. Don’t forget to bring down the decimal point in the answer!

Practice Problems

Try solving each problem below, check your answer, then play the video to see a step-by-step walkthrough of the solution.

What’s Next?

Click the quiz link below to practice this skill with realistic questions aligned to the TEAS 7 exam.