Solve Three-Digit Subtraction: 372 minus 185 in Vertical Format

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Solve

00:03 Each time we consider borrowing 2 digits, and then we'll place

00:07 2 is less than 5

00:13 Therefore we'll subtract 1 from the tens and add this amount to the ones

00:17 So now instead of 2 we'll have 12

00:21 We subtract the ones from the ones plus ten

00:24 We'll place in the ones

00:28 6 is less than 8

00:33 Therefore we'll subtract 1 from the hundreds and add this amount to the tens

00:39 So now instead of 6 we'll have 16

00:43 We subtract the tens from the tens plus ten

00:47 We'll place in the tens

00:52 Subtract hundreds from hundreds, and place in hundreds

00:55 And this is the solution to the problem

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

Let's work through each step:

Step 1: Set up the numbers as follows:
$\begin{array}{c} & 3 & 7 & 2 \\ - & 1 & 8 & 5 \\ \hline & & \\ \end{array}$

Step 2: Start with the units column: $2 - 5$ . Since 2 is less than 5, we need to regroup:

Step 3: Borrow 1 from the tens column, turning 7 into 6 and 2 into 12. Now subtract the units: $12 - 5 = 7$ .

Next, move to the tens column. After borrowing, we have $6$ in the tens column, subtract $8$ (from the subtrahend):

Since $6 - 8$ is not possible without borrowing, we need to regroup.

Borrow 1 from the hundreds column, turning $3$ into $2$ and $6$ into $16$ . Now subtract the tens: $16 - 8 = 8$ .

Lastly, move to the hundreds column. After borrowing, it's $2 - 1 = 1$ . Place this value in the hundreds place.

The final subtraction setup and answer is:
$\begin{array}{c} &2 & 16 & 12 \\ - & 1 & 8 & 5 \\ \hline &1 & 8 & 7 \\ \end{array}$

Therefore, the solution to the problem is $187$ .