Subtraction of decimals

Subtraction of decimals involves the subtraction of the decimal number with a small whole number part from the decimal number with a greater whole number part. However, we need to follow certain rules while performing the subtraction on decimals.

How to Subtract Decimals?

Subtraction of decimals is performed using the following steps:

Step 1: The numbers are first padded with zero depending upon the maximum digits present after the decimal for any of the numbers. 

For example, while subtracting 3.456 from 7.1, since the number 3.456 has more digits after the decimal, the padding is done according to 3.456. Since 3.456 has 3 digits after the decimal, we pad 7.1 to three places as 7.100.

Step 2: The numbers are lined up vertically along with each other as shown below.

Step 3: Finally, subtract the decimal numbers similar to integers and place the decimal point accordingly.

Examples on Decimal Subtraction

Let us understand the concept more clearly with the help of the following examples:

Example 1: Subtraction: 7.304 – 1.15

Example 2: Subtraction 4.1 – 0.94