Natural Numbers: Addition & Subtraction Basics
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ScribdTranslationsMathematics Teaching 1st year
Operations in the set of Natural Numbers
• Addition of natural numbers
We start from the concept of a natural number as the cardinality of a finite set. Cardinality is the amount of
elements that a set has.
Given natural numbers called addends, there exists another natural number that is the sum of the previous ones.
and is defined as follows:
Definition of the sum of two natural numbers Given two natural numbers a and b, the sum of a and b is called
(a + b) is written as the cardinality of the union of two disjoint sets A and B, such that the cardinality of A is
a and the cardinal of B is b.
Properties of addition
✓ Closure - The sum of two natural numbers is another natural number.
✓ Associative - For any natural a, b, and c, it holds that: (a + b) + c = a + (b + c)
✓ Commutative - The order of the addends does not alter the sum: a + b = b + a
✓ Existence of zero - For any natural number it holds that: a + 0 = a. For this reason, we say that
0 is the neutral element of the addition of natural numbers.
➢ We observe that: The property of closure along with the uniqueness of the sum guarantees that addition
it is a binary operation in the set of natural numbers. A binary operation in a set A is
a function with domain AxA and codomain A, that is, to each ordered pair of elements from A corresponds
one and only one element of A. We usually use the associative, commutative properties and the existence of a neutral element,
almost without realizing it, whenever we want to do a mental calculation. We try to associate numbers that
add tens or hundreds. For example, to add 17 + 32 + 3, we change the order and associate 17 + 3 and
then we add 20 + 32.
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• Difference of natural numbers
Definition of difference: If m and s are two natural numbers, we say that m ≥ s if there exists a natural number.
d, such that s + d = m. This natural number d is called the difference of m (minuend) and s (subtrahend)
Therefore, the difference of two natural numbers called the subtrahend and the minuend, with the minuend being
greater than or equal to the minuend, is the natural number that must be added to the minuend so that the sum
be equal to the minuend.
− = ⇔ + = ≥
Properties
We observe that the subtraction of natural numbers does not satisfy the closure properties.
commutative and associative. However, it has some properties that are useful in mental calculation:
For example, to mentally calculate the difference 24–16 = 24–10–6 = 14–6 = 8, using the property
1 or using property 2: 24–16 = (24 + 4)–(16 + 4) = 28–20 = 8.
• Algorithms of sums and differences
An algorithm is a sequence of rules to apply, in a specific order, to a finite number of data.
to reach a specific result in a finite number of stages.
The algorithms for calculating additions and subtractions are based on properties of the operations and the system of
numbering in which they are written.
In a positional numbering system, we add the digits of the same order (units, tens, etc.) and
when the sum exceeds the base in which the addends are written, "we carry one" to the next order
superior.
For example, in the decimal system: 475 + 87 =
1° -We add the units 5 + 7 = 12, I get 2 units and "I carry over" one ten.
2° -We add the tens: 7 + 8 + 1 (that I had carried over) = 16, I get 6 tens and 'carry over' one.
hundred.
3° - We add the hundreds: 4 + 1 = 5 hundreds
The sum is 5 hundreds, 6 tens, and 2 units, that is, 475 + 87 = 562
It works the same in any positional system.
For example, in base 8: 475(8)+ 27(8)=
1° - We add the units of order 0: 5 + 7 = 14 8), I get 4 units of order 0 and "I take with me" one unit
of order 1.
2° - We add the units of order 1: 7 + 2 + 1 (that I had taken) = 128), I get 2 u.o.1 and "me
I carry a u.o.2
3° - We add the units of order 2: 4 + 1 = 5, units of order 2
The sum is 5 u.o.2, 2 u.o.1 and 4 u.o.0, that is, 4758)+ 278) = 524(8)
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• Multiplication of natural numbers
Definition of the product of two natural numbers: Given two natural numbers a and b, which receive the
the number of factors is called the product of a and b, and is written (a x b), to the cardinal of the set formed by
all ordered pairs that have the first component in A and the second component in B being
A and B are two sets such that the cardinality of A is a and the cardinality of B is b.
Example
To determine the product of 2 and 3, we need two sets, for example A={m,n} and B={p,q,r}.
containing 2 and 3 elements respectively. We form the set of all ordered pairs (x, y) with x
in A and in B: {(m,p), (m,q), (m,r), (n,p), (n,q), (n,r)}
This set has 6 elements, therefore 2x3 = 6.
That definition is simplified if we use a graphical representation.
for the sets through a grid.
The number of elements in the first set, 2 in our example,
we count them on the lower horizontal side.
The number of elements in the second set, 3, we count them.
on the left vertical side.
The product 2x3 is the number of small squares that remain enclosed.
as shown in the attached figure.
In the search for strategies for counting the little squares,
the notion of multiplication will arise as 'repeated additions': 3 x 2 =
3 + 3 or 3 x 2 = 2 + 2 + 2
Properties of multiplication
✓ Closure The product of two natural numbers is another natural number.
✓ Associative For any natural numbers a, b, and c, it holds that: (a x b) x c = a x (b x c)
✓ Commutative: The order of the factors does not change the product: a x b = b x a
✓ Distributive property with respect to addition For any natural numbers a, b, and c, it holds that: (a + b).c = a . c + b . c
(remember the order of operations)
✓ Existencia de neutroPara cualquier número natural se cumple que: a x 1 = a.
For this, we say that 1 is the neutral element of the multiplication of natural numbers.
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