Concept

'More Than' and 'Less Than' as Addition and Subtraction Cues

In everyday language, the phrases "more than" and "less than" act as cues for addition and subtraction, respectively. The phrase "bb more than aa" means bb is added to aa, giving a+ba + b. For instance, "eight more than your current age" translates to your age +8+ 8. Conversely, "bb less than aa" means bb is subtracted from aa, giving aba - b. For instance, "seven less than your current age" translates to your age 7- 7. A common mistake is to reverse the order—writing 8age8 - \text{age} instead of age+8\text{age} + 8—so it is important to note that the quantity after "more than" or "less than" is the starting value from which you add or subtract.

0

1

Updated 2026-04-21

Tags

OpenStax

Elementary Algebra @ OpenStax

Ch.3 Math Models - Elementary Algebra @ OpenStax

Algebra

Math

Prealgebra

Related
Learn After