Vertically align numbers with Larger Number on top:
| 2 | . | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| − | 0 | . | 0 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
Subtract using place value:
| Ones | Tenths | Hundredths | Thousandths | Ten Thousandths | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 9 | |||||
| 5 | 3 | 10 | 10 | |||
| 2.64 | 2 | . | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 0.0486 | 0 | . | 0 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Difference | 2 | . | 5 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
Column traversal from right to left
Ten Thousandths column:
Ten Thousandths column:
- Since 0 is less than 6, we have to borrow 1 from the Thousandths column
- As a result, 0 becomes 10, and 10 − 6 = 4
- The 0 in the Thousandths column becomes 9 after borrowing 1 from its regrouped value of 10
Thousandths column:
- 9 − 8 = 1
- Because it was the first nonzero digit to the left of the 0 in the Ten Thousandths column, the 4 in the Hundredths column became 3 after 1 was borrowed for the purpose of regrouping the 0 in the Thousandths column (borrowing across a 0)
Hundredths column:
- Since 3 is less than 4, we have to borrow 1 from the Tenths column
- As a result, 3 becomes 13, and 13 − 4 = 9
- The 6 in the Tenths column becomes 5
Tenths column:
- 5 − 0 = 5
Ones column:
- 2 − 0 = 2
| 13 | 9 | |||||
| 5 | 3 | 10 | 10 | |||
| 2 | . | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| − | 0 | . | 0 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| 2 | . | 5 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
Therefore, the Difference between 2.64 and 0.0486 is 2.5914
Check computation by comparing Larger Number and the Sum of Difference and Smaller Number:
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2 | . | 5 | 9 | 1 | 4 | |
| 0 | . | 0 | 4 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2 | . | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Sum of Difference and Smaller Number = 2.64 (trailing zeros are dropped)
Sum of Difference and Smaller Number = Larger Number (2.64 = 2.64) ✓
