Arithmetic Operations include operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
On top of knowing the operation symbol, it is important to know keywords that imply each operation.
| Operation | Keywords |
| Addition | sum, sum of, increased by, more than, combined, together, total of, plus, added to, comparatives (e.g., greater than) |
| Subtraction | difference, difference between/of, decreased by, minus, less, less than, fewer than, left, left over, smaller than |
| Multiplication | product, product of, times, multiplied by, factor of, twice, triple |
| Division | quotient, divide, groups of, split, average, ratio of, per |
Also note, that addition and subtraction are inverse operations of each other meaning you can find an equivalent question using the reverse operation.
\(12+20=32\) and \(32-20=12\)
Multiplication and Division are inverses of each other.
Example 1
Find the sum of \(321\), \(22\), and \(1345\).
Solution
Addition is implied, so \(321+22+1345=1688\)
Example 2
How many groups of eight parts can be found in three hundred thirty-six parts.
Solution
Groups of implies division, so \(336\div 8=42\) groups
Example 3
If there are 96 aircraft maintenance technicians working at each terminal and there are 12 terminals, how many technicians are there?
Solution
There are 96 technicians in each terminal, and we want to multiply by a factor of 12.
\(96\times 12=1152\) technicians
