Order Does Not Change the Total: Why 3 Plus 4 Equals 4 Plus 3

You will meet this idea in ordinary days. Order does not matter when you are gathering. Two bags of apples poured into one basket weigh the same no matter which one you pour first. This is worth learning because this rule cuts the number of addition facts you must memorize almost in half.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Here is today’s math treasure. You can switch the order of two numbers you are adding and the total stays exactly the same.

Put three blocks and four blocks together and you get seven. Put four blocks and three blocks together and you still get seven. Nothing was gained or lost by rearranging. This is helpful because you can start with the bigger number and count on the smaller one, which is much faster than the other way around.

Here is where this saves you real work. If you know 2 plus 9, you also know 9 plus 2, so you learned two facts at once. Whenever you meet a new fact, flip it around and say the twin. Half your memory work just disappeared. Take your time. Careful is better than fast.