section_path: Operations/Addition and subtraction
section_name: Addition and subtraction
paragraph_text: Addition and subtraction
  
  Addition is an arithmetic operation in which two numbers, called the addends, are combined into a single number, called the sum. The symbol of addition is + {\displaystyle +}. Examples are 2 + 2 = 4 {\displaystyle 2+2=4} and 6.3 + 1.26 = 7.56 {\displaystyle 6.3+1.26=7.56}. The term summation is used if several additions are performed in a row. Counting is a type of repeated addition in which the number 1 is continuously added.
  
  Subtraction is the inverse of addition. In it, one number, known as the subtrahend, is taken away from another, known as the minuend. The result of this operation is called the difference. The symbol of subtraction is − {\displaystyle -}. Examples are 14 − 8 = 6 {\displaystyle 14-8=6} and 45 − 1.7 = 43.3 {\displaystyle 45-1.7=43.3}. Subtraction is often treated as a special case of addition: instead of subtracting a positive number, it is also possible to add a negative number. For instance 14 − 8 = 14 + (− 8) {\displaystyle 14-8=14+(-8)}. This helps to simplify mathematical computations by reducing the number of basic arithmetic operations needed to perform calculations.
  
  The additive identity element is 0 and the additive inverse of a number is the negative of that number. For instance, 13 + 0 = 13 {\displaystyle 13+0=13} and 13 + (− 13) = 0 {\displaystyle 13+(-13)=0}. Addition is both commutative and associative.