Column Subtraction – Written Method
Column subtraction organises digits by place value so you can subtract any two numbers systematically, column by column, from right to left.
Setting Up Column Subtraction
Write the minuend on top and the subtrahend beneath, right-aligned. Draw a line and subtract each column starting from the ones.
Worked Examples (No Borrowing)
Example 1
78 − 35 ---- 43
Ones: 8−5=3. Tens: 7−3=4. Answer: 43
Example 2 – Three Digits
865 − 324 ----- 541
Ones: 5−4=1. Tens: 6−2=4. Hundreds: 8−3=5. Answer: 541
Different-Length Numbers
542 − 31: write as 542 − 031 → 511
Key Takeaways
- Right-align digits; always start from the ones column.
- Work from right to left through each place value.
- Pad shorter numbers with leading zeros.
- If a column requires subtracting a larger digit from a smaller one, you must borrow.
Practice Questions
- Calculate 96 − 43.
- Calculate 785 − 341.
- Calculate 943 − 521.
- Calculate 4,678 − 3,215.
- A library has 895 books; 342 are borrowed. How many remain?