Question

Find the difference. $$ 12.5-9.8 $$

Short answer

The difference between 12.5 and 9.8 is 2.7

Step-by-step solution

Align the decimal numbers by place value

Write the numbers so that the decimal points align vertically. This means writing out the problem as follows: \( 12.5 - 9.8 \).

Perform the subtraction

Subtract as one would with whole numbers, moving from right to left. If the top number in a column is smaller than the one below it, borrow 1 from the column to its left. In this case, you can't subtract 8 from 5, so you borrow 1 from 2 (in the whole number part of 12.5), leaving 1 in the whole number part, and adding 10 to 5 in the first decimal place to get 15. Now, you can subtract 8 from 15, and then 9 from 1.

Write down the result

This gives: \( 2.7 \)