NCERT Textbook: Arithmetic Expressions

 Page 1


2.1 Simple Expressions
You may have seen mathematical phrases like 13 + 2, 20 – 4, 12 × 5, and 
18 ÷ 3. Such phrases are called arithmetic expressions. 
Every arithmetic expression has a value which is the number it 
evaluates to. For example, the value of the expression 13 + 2 is 15. This 
expression can be read as ‘13 plus 2’ or ‘the sum of 13 and 2’.
We use the equality sign ‘=’ to denote the relationship between an 
arithmetic expression and its value. For example:
13 + 2 = 15.
Example 1: Mallika spends ?25 every day for lunch at school. Write 
the expression for the total amount she spends on lunch in a week 
from Monday to Friday.
The expression for the total amount is 5 × 25.
5 × 25 is  “5 times 25” or “the product of 5 and 25”. 
Di??erent expressions can have the same value. Here are multiple 
ways to express the number 12, using two numbers and any of the four 
operations +, – ,  × and ÷:
10 + 2, 15 – 3, 3 × 4, 24 ÷ 2.
Choose your favourite number and write as many expressions as you 
can having that value.
Comparing Expressions
As we compare numbers using ‘=’, ‘<’ and ‘>’ signs, we can also compare 
expressions. We compare expressions based on their values and write 
the ‘equal to’, ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ sign accordingly. For example, 
10 + 2 > 7 + 1 
ARITHMETIC 
EXPRESSIONS
2
Chapter-2.indd   24 Chapter-2.indd   24 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Page 2


2.1 Simple Expressions
You may have seen mathematical phrases like 13 + 2, 20 – 4, 12 × 5, and 
18 ÷ 3. Such phrases are called arithmetic expressions. 
Every arithmetic expression has a value which is the number it 
evaluates to. For example, the value of the expression 13 + 2 is 15. This 
expression can be read as ‘13 plus 2’ or ‘the sum of 13 and 2’.
We use the equality sign ‘=’ to denote the relationship between an 
arithmetic expression and its value. For example:
13 + 2 = 15.
Example 1: Mallika spends ?25 every day for lunch at school. Write 
the expression for the total amount she spends on lunch in a week 
from Monday to Friday.
The expression for the total amount is 5 × 25.
5 × 25 is  “5 times 25” or “the product of 5 and 25”. 
Di??erent expressions can have the same value. Here are multiple 
ways to express the number 12, using two numbers and any of the four 
operations +, – ,  × and ÷:
10 + 2, 15 – 3, 3 × 4, 24 ÷ 2.
Choose your favourite number and write as many expressions as you 
can having that value.
Comparing Expressions
As we compare numbers using ‘=’, ‘<’ and ‘>’ signs, we can also compare 
expressions. We compare expressions based on their values and write 
the ‘equal to’, ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ sign accordingly. For example, 
10 + 2 > 7 + 1 
ARITHMETIC 
EXPRESSIONS
2
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Arithmetic Expressions
25
 because the value of 10 + 2 = 12  is greater than the value of 7 + 1 =  8. 
Similarly, 
13 – 2 < 4 × 3.
Figure it Out
1.  Fill in the blanks to make the expressions equal on both sides of 
the = sign:
(a) 13 + 4 = ____ + 6  (b) 22 +  ____  = 6 × 5   
(c) 8 × ____ = 64 ÷ 2 (d) 34 – ____ = 25
2.  Arrange the following expressions in ascending (increasing) order 
of their values. 
(a) 67 – 19 (b) 67 – 20
(c) 35 + 25 (d) 5 × 11
(e) 120 ÷ 3
Example 2: Which is greater? 1023 + 125 or 1022 + 128? 
Imagining a situation could help us answer this 
without ??nding the values. Raja had 1023 marbles 
and got 125 more today. Now he has 1023 + 125 
marbles. Joy had 1022 marbles and got 128 
more today. Now he has 1022 + 128 marbles.  Who 
has more?
This situation can be represented as shown in 
the picture on the right. To begin with, Raja had 1 
more marble than Joy. But Joy got 3 more marbles 
than Raja today. We can see that Joy has (two) 
more marbles than Raja now.
That is,  
   1023 + 125 < 1022 + 128.
Example 3: Which is greater? 113 – 25 or 112 – 24? 
Imagine a situation, Raja had 113 marbles and lost 
25 of them. He has 113 – 25 marbles. Joy had 112 
marbles and lost 24 today. He has 112 – 24 marbles. 
Who has more marbles left with them?
Raja had 1 marble more than Joy. But he also 
lost 1 marble more than Joy did. Therefore, they 
have an equal number of marbles now.
That is, 
113 – 25 = 112 – 24.
Raja (1023 + 125)
Joy (1022 + 128)
1022
1022
125
125
1
1 1 1
Raja (113 – 25)
remove
112
24
1
Joy (112 – 24)
remove
112
24
Chapter-2.indd   25 Chapter-2.indd   25 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Page 3


2.1 Simple Expressions
You may have seen mathematical phrases like 13 + 2, 20 – 4, 12 × 5, and 
18 ÷ 3. Such phrases are called arithmetic expressions. 
Every arithmetic expression has a value which is the number it 
evaluates to. For example, the value of the expression 13 + 2 is 15. This 
expression can be read as ‘13 plus 2’ or ‘the sum of 13 and 2’.
We use the equality sign ‘=’ to denote the relationship between an 
arithmetic expression and its value. For example:
13 + 2 = 15.
Example 1: Mallika spends ?25 every day for lunch at school. Write 
the expression for the total amount she spends on lunch in a week 
from Monday to Friday.
The expression for the total amount is 5 × 25.
5 × 25 is  “5 times 25” or “the product of 5 and 25”. 
Di??erent expressions can have the same value. Here are multiple 
ways to express the number 12, using two numbers and any of the four 
operations +, – ,  × and ÷:
10 + 2, 15 – 3, 3 × 4, 24 ÷ 2.
Choose your favourite number and write as many expressions as you 
can having that value.
Comparing Expressions
As we compare numbers using ‘=’, ‘<’ and ‘>’ signs, we can also compare 
expressions. We compare expressions based on their values and write 
the ‘equal to’, ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ sign accordingly. For example, 
10 + 2 > 7 + 1 
ARITHMETIC 
EXPRESSIONS
2
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Arithmetic Expressions
25
 because the value of 10 + 2 = 12  is greater than the value of 7 + 1 =  8. 
Similarly, 
13 – 2 < 4 × 3.
Figure it Out
1.  Fill in the blanks to make the expressions equal on both sides of 
the = sign:
(a) 13 + 4 = ____ + 6  (b) 22 +  ____  = 6 × 5   
(c) 8 × ____ = 64 ÷ 2 (d) 34 – ____ = 25
2.  Arrange the following expressions in ascending (increasing) order 
of their values. 
(a) 67 – 19 (b) 67 – 20
(c) 35 + 25 (d) 5 × 11
(e) 120 ÷ 3
Example 2: Which is greater? 1023 + 125 or 1022 + 128? 
Imagining a situation could help us answer this 
without ??nding the values. Raja had 1023 marbles 
and got 125 more today. Now he has 1023 + 125 
marbles. Joy had 1022 marbles and got 128 
more today. Now he has 1022 + 128 marbles.  Who 
has more?
This situation can be represented as shown in 
the picture on the right. To begin with, Raja had 1 
more marble than Joy. But Joy got 3 more marbles 
than Raja today. We can see that Joy has (two) 
more marbles than Raja now.
That is,  
   1023 + 125 < 1022 + 128.
Example 3: Which is greater? 113 – 25 or 112 – 24? 
Imagine a situation, Raja had 113 marbles and lost 
25 of them. He has 113 – 25 marbles. Joy had 112 
marbles and lost 24 today. He has 112 – 24 marbles. 
Who has more marbles left with them?
Raja had 1 marble more than Joy. But he also 
lost 1 marble more than Joy did. Therefore, they 
have an equal number of marbles now.
That is, 
113 – 25 = 112 – 24.
Raja (1023 + 125)
Joy (1022 + 128)
1022
1022
125
125
1
1 1 1
Raja (113 – 25)
remove
112
24
1
Joy (112 – 24)
remove
112
24
Chapter-2.indd   25 Chapter-2.indd   25 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Ganita Prakash | Grade 7
26
Use ‘>’ or ‘<’ or ‘=’ in each of the following expressions to compare 
them. Can you do it without complicated calculations? Explain your 
thinking in each case. 
(a) 245 + 289  246 + 285
(b) 273 – 145  272 – 144 
(c) 364 + 587  363 + 589
(d) 124 + 245  129 + 245
(e) 213 – 77   214 – 76
2.2 Reading and Evaluating Complex Expressions 
Sometimes, when an expression is not accompanied by a context, there 
can be more than one way of evaluating its value. In such cases, we 
need some tools and rules to specify how exactly the expression has to 
be evaluated. 
To give an example with language, look 
at the following sentences:   
(a) Sentence: “Shalini sat next to a 
friend with toys”.  
  Meaning: The friend has toys and 
Shalini sat next to her.
(b)    Sentence:   “Shalini sat next to a 
friend, with toys”. 
 Meaning: Shalini has the toys 
and she sat with them next to her 
friend. 
This sentence without the punctuation could have been interpreted 
in two di??erent ways. The appropriate use of a comma speci??es how 
the sentence has to be understood.
Let us see an expression that can be evaluated in more than one way.
Example 4: Mallesh brought 30 marbles to the playground. Arun 
brought 5 bags of marbles with 4 marbles in each bag. How many 
marbles did Mallesh and Arun bring to the playground?
Mallesh summarized this by writing the mathematical expression —
30 + 5 × 4.
Chapter-2.indd   26 Chapter-2.indd   26 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Page 4


2.1 Simple Expressions
You may have seen mathematical phrases like 13 + 2, 20 – 4, 12 × 5, and 
18 ÷ 3. Such phrases are called arithmetic expressions. 
Every arithmetic expression has a value which is the number it 
evaluates to. For example, the value of the expression 13 + 2 is 15. This 
expression can be read as ‘13 plus 2’ or ‘the sum of 13 and 2’.
We use the equality sign ‘=’ to denote the relationship between an 
arithmetic expression and its value. For example:
13 + 2 = 15.
Example 1: Mallika spends ?25 every day for lunch at school. Write 
the expression for the total amount she spends on lunch in a week 
from Monday to Friday.
The expression for the total amount is 5 × 25.
5 × 25 is  “5 times 25” or “the product of 5 and 25”. 
Di??erent expressions can have the same value. Here are multiple 
ways to express the number 12, using two numbers and any of the four 
operations +, – ,  × and ÷:
10 + 2, 15 – 3, 3 × 4, 24 ÷ 2.
Choose your favourite number and write as many expressions as you 
can having that value.
Comparing Expressions
As we compare numbers using ‘=’, ‘<’ and ‘>’ signs, we can also compare 
expressions. We compare expressions based on their values and write 
the ‘equal to’, ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ sign accordingly. For example, 
10 + 2 > 7 + 1 
ARITHMETIC 
EXPRESSIONS
2
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Arithmetic Expressions
25
 because the value of 10 + 2 = 12  is greater than the value of 7 + 1 =  8. 
Similarly, 
13 – 2 < 4 × 3.
Figure it Out
1.  Fill in the blanks to make the expressions equal on both sides of 
the = sign:
(a) 13 + 4 = ____ + 6  (b) 22 +  ____  = 6 × 5   
(c) 8 × ____ = 64 ÷ 2 (d) 34 – ____ = 25
2.  Arrange the following expressions in ascending (increasing) order 
of their values. 
(a) 67 – 19 (b) 67 – 20
(c) 35 + 25 (d) 5 × 11
(e) 120 ÷ 3
Example 2: Which is greater? 1023 + 125 or 1022 + 128? 
Imagining a situation could help us answer this 
without ??nding the values. Raja had 1023 marbles 
and got 125 more today. Now he has 1023 + 125 
marbles. Joy had 1022 marbles and got 128 
more today. Now he has 1022 + 128 marbles.  Who 
has more?
This situation can be represented as shown in 
the picture on the right. To begin with, Raja had 1 
more marble than Joy. But Joy got 3 more marbles 
than Raja today. We can see that Joy has (two) 
more marbles than Raja now.
That is,  
   1023 + 125 < 1022 + 128.
Example 3: Which is greater? 113 – 25 or 112 – 24? 
Imagine a situation, Raja had 113 marbles and lost 
25 of them. He has 113 – 25 marbles. Joy had 112 
marbles and lost 24 today. He has 112 – 24 marbles. 
Who has more marbles left with them?
Raja had 1 marble more than Joy. But he also 
lost 1 marble more than Joy did. Therefore, they 
have an equal number of marbles now.
That is, 
113 – 25 = 112 – 24.
Raja (1023 + 125)
Joy (1022 + 128)
1022
1022
125
125
1
1 1 1
Raja (113 – 25)
remove
112
24
1
Joy (112 – 24)
remove
112
24
Chapter-2.indd   25 Chapter-2.indd   25 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
Reprint 2026-27
Ganita Prakash | Grade 7
26
Use ‘>’ or ‘<’ or ‘=’ in each of the following expressions to compare 
them. Can you do it without complicated calculations? Explain your 
thinking in each case. 
(a) 245 + 289  246 + 285
(b) 273 – 145  272 – 144 
(c) 364 + 587  363 + 589
(d) 124 + 245  129 + 245
(e) 213 – 77   214 – 76
2.2 Reading and Evaluating Complex Expressions 
Sometimes, when an expression is not accompanied by a context, there 
can be more than one way of evaluating its value. In such cases, we 
need some tools and rules to specify how exactly the expression has to 
be evaluated. 
To give an example with language, look 
at the following sentences:   
(a) Sentence: “Shalini sat next to a 
friend with toys”.  
  Meaning: The friend has toys and 
Shalini sat next to her.
(b)    Sentence:   “Shalini sat next to a 
friend, with toys”. 
 Meaning: Shalini has the toys 
and she sat with them next to her 
friend. 
This sentence without the punctuation could have been interpreted 
in two di??erent ways. The appropriate use of a comma speci??es how 
the sentence has to be understood.
Let us see an expression that can be evaluated in more than one way.
Example 4: Mallesh brought 30 marbles to the playground. Arun 
brought 5 bags of marbles with 4 marbles in each bag. How many 
marbles did Mallesh and Arun bring to the playground?
Mallesh summarized this by writing the mathematical expression —
30 + 5 × 4.
Chapter-2.indd   26 Chapter-2.indd   26 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Arithmetic Expressions
27
Without knowing the context behind this expression, Purna found 
the value of this expression to be 140. He added 30 and 5 ??rst, to get 35, 
and then multiplied 35 by 4 to get 140.
Mallesh found the value of this expression to be 50. He multiplied 5 
and 4 ??rst to get 20 and added 20 to 30 to get 50. 
In this case, Mallesh is right. But why did Purna get it wrong? 
Just looking at the expression 30 + 5 × 4, it is not clear whether we 
should do the addition ??rst or multiplication. 
Just as punctuation marks are used to resolve confusions in language, 
brackets and the notion of terms are used in mathematics to resolve 
confusions in evaluating expressions.
Brackets in Expressions
In the expression to ??nd the number of marbles — 30 + 5 × 4 — we had 
to ??rst multiply 5 and 4, and then add this product to 30. This order of  
operations is clari??ed by the use of brackets as follows:
30 + (5 × 4).
When evaluating an expression having brackets, we need to ??rst ??nd 
the values of the expressions inside the brackets before performing 
other operations. So, in the above expression, we ??rst ??nd the value 
of 5 × 4, and then do the addition. Thus, this expression describes the 
number of marbles:
30 + (5 × 4 ) = 30 + 20 = 50.
Example 5: Irfan bought a pack of biscuits for ?15 and a packet of toor 
dal for ?56. He gave the shopkeeper ?100. Write an expression that can 
help us calculate the change Irfan will get back from the shopkeeper.
Irfan spent ?15 on a biscuit packet and ?56 on toor dal. So, the total 
cost in rupees is 15 + 56. He gave ?100 to the shopkeeper. So, he should 
get back 100 minus the total cost. Can we write that expression as—
100 – 15 + 56?? 
Can we ??rst subtract 15 from 100 and then add 56 to the result? We 
will get 141. It is absurd that he gets more money than he paid the 
shopkeeper!
We can use brackets in this case:
100 – (15 + 56).
Evaluating the expression within the brackets ??rst, we get 100 minus 
71, which is 29. So, Irfan will get back ?29.
Chapter-2.indd   27 Chapter-2.indd   27 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Page 5


2.1 Simple Expressions
You may have seen mathematical phrases like 13 + 2, 20 – 4, 12 × 5, and 
18 ÷ 3. Such phrases are called arithmetic expressions. 
Every arithmetic expression has a value which is the number it 
evaluates to. For example, the value of the expression 13 + 2 is 15. This 
expression can be read as ‘13 plus 2’ or ‘the sum of 13 and 2’.
We use the equality sign ‘=’ to denote the relationship between an 
arithmetic expression and its value. For example:
13 + 2 = 15.
Example 1: Mallika spends ?25 every day for lunch at school. Write 
the expression for the total amount she spends on lunch in a week 
from Monday to Friday.
The expression for the total amount is 5 × 25.
5 × 25 is  “5 times 25” or “the product of 5 and 25”. 
Di??erent expressions can have the same value. Here are multiple 
ways to express the number 12, using two numbers and any of the four 
operations +, – ,  × and ÷:
10 + 2, 15 – 3, 3 × 4, 24 ÷ 2.
Choose your favourite number and write as many expressions as you 
can having that value.
Comparing Expressions
As we compare numbers using ‘=’, ‘<’ and ‘>’ signs, we can also compare 
expressions. We compare expressions based on their values and write 
the ‘equal to’, ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ sign accordingly. For example, 
10 + 2 > 7 + 1 
ARITHMETIC 
EXPRESSIONS
2
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Arithmetic Expressions
25
 because the value of 10 + 2 = 12  is greater than the value of 7 + 1 =  8. 
Similarly, 
13 – 2 < 4 × 3.
Figure it Out
1.  Fill in the blanks to make the expressions equal on both sides of 
the = sign:
(a) 13 + 4 = ____ + 6  (b) 22 +  ____  = 6 × 5   
(c) 8 × ____ = 64 ÷ 2 (d) 34 – ____ = 25
2.  Arrange the following expressions in ascending (increasing) order 
of their values. 
(a) 67 – 19 (b) 67 – 20
(c) 35 + 25 (d) 5 × 11
(e) 120 ÷ 3
Example 2: Which is greater? 1023 + 125 or 1022 + 128? 
Imagining a situation could help us answer this 
without ??nding the values. Raja had 1023 marbles 
and got 125 more today. Now he has 1023 + 125 
marbles. Joy had 1022 marbles and got 128 
more today. Now he has 1022 + 128 marbles.  Who 
has more?
This situation can be represented as shown in 
the picture on the right. To begin with, Raja had 1 
more marble than Joy. But Joy got 3 more marbles 
than Raja today. We can see that Joy has (two) 
more marbles than Raja now.
That is,  
   1023 + 125 < 1022 + 128.
Example 3: Which is greater? 113 – 25 or 112 – 24? 
Imagine a situation, Raja had 113 marbles and lost 
25 of them. He has 113 – 25 marbles. Joy had 112 
marbles and lost 24 today. He has 112 – 24 marbles. 
Who has more marbles left with them?
Raja had 1 marble more than Joy. But he also 
lost 1 marble more than Joy did. Therefore, they 
have an equal number of marbles now.
That is, 
113 – 25 = 112 – 24.
Raja (1023 + 125)
Joy (1022 + 128)
1022
1022
125
125
1
1 1 1
Raja (113 – 25)
remove
112
24
1
Joy (112 – 24)
remove
112
24
Chapter-2.indd   25 Chapter-2.indd   25 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
Reprint 2026-27
Ganita Prakash | Grade 7
26
Use ‘>’ or ‘<’ or ‘=’ in each of the following expressions to compare 
them. Can you do it without complicated calculations? Explain your 
thinking in each case. 
(a) 245 + 289  246 + 285
(b) 273 – 145  272 – 144 
(c) 364 + 587  363 + 589
(d) 124 + 245  129 + 245
(e) 213 – 77   214 – 76
2.2 Reading and Evaluating Complex Expressions 
Sometimes, when an expression is not accompanied by a context, there 
can be more than one way of evaluating its value. In such cases, we 
need some tools and rules to specify how exactly the expression has to 
be evaluated. 
To give an example with language, look 
at the following sentences:   
(a) Sentence: “Shalini sat next to a 
friend with toys”.  
  Meaning: The friend has toys and 
Shalini sat next to her.
(b)    Sentence:   “Shalini sat next to a 
friend, with toys”. 
 Meaning: Shalini has the toys 
and she sat with them next to her 
friend. 
This sentence without the punctuation could have been interpreted 
in two di??erent ways. The appropriate use of a comma speci??es how 
the sentence has to be understood.
Let us see an expression that can be evaluated in more than one way.
Example 4: Mallesh brought 30 marbles to the playground. Arun 
brought 5 bags of marbles with 4 marbles in each bag. How many 
marbles did Mallesh and Arun bring to the playground?
Mallesh summarized this by writing the mathematical expression —
30 + 5 × 4.
Chapter-2.indd   26 Chapter-2.indd   26 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
Reprint 2026-27
Arithmetic Expressions
27
Without knowing the context behind this expression, Purna found 
the value of this expression to be 140. He added 30 and 5 ??rst, to get 35, 
and then multiplied 35 by 4 to get 140.
Mallesh found the value of this expression to be 50. He multiplied 5 
and 4 ??rst to get 20 and added 20 to 30 to get 50. 
In this case, Mallesh is right. But why did Purna get it wrong? 
Just looking at the expression 30 + 5 × 4, it is not clear whether we 
should do the addition ??rst or multiplication. 
Just as punctuation marks are used to resolve confusions in language, 
brackets and the notion of terms are used in mathematics to resolve 
confusions in evaluating expressions.
Brackets in Expressions
In the expression to ??nd the number of marbles — 30 + 5 × 4 — we had 
to ??rst multiply 5 and 4, and then add this product to 30. This order of  
operations is clari??ed by the use of brackets as follows:
30 + (5 × 4).
When evaluating an expression having brackets, we need to ??rst ??nd 
the values of the expressions inside the brackets before performing 
other operations. So, in the above expression, we ??rst ??nd the value 
of 5 × 4, and then do the addition. Thus, this expression describes the 
number of marbles:
30 + (5 × 4 ) = 30 + 20 = 50.
Example 5: Irfan bought a pack of biscuits for ?15 and a packet of toor 
dal for ?56. He gave the shopkeeper ?100. Write an expression that can 
help us calculate the change Irfan will get back from the shopkeeper.
Irfan spent ?15 on a biscuit packet and ?56 on toor dal. So, the total 
cost in rupees is 15 + 56. He gave ?100 to the shopkeeper. So, he should 
get back 100 minus the total cost. Can we write that expression as—
100 – 15 + 56?? 
Can we ??rst subtract 15 from 100 and then add 56 to the result? We 
will get 141. It is absurd that he gets more money than he paid the 
shopkeeper!
We can use brackets in this case:
100 – (15 + 56).
Evaluating the expression within the brackets ??rst, we get 100 minus 
71, which is 29. So, Irfan will get back ?29.
Chapter-2.indd   27 Chapter-2.indd   27 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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Ganita Prakash | Grade 7
28
Terms in Expressions
Suppose we have the expression 30 + 5 × 4 without any brackets. Does 
it have no meaning? 
When there are expressions having multiple operations, and the 
order of operations is not speci??ed by the brackets, we use the notion 
of terms to determine the order.
Terms are the parts of an expression separated by a ‘+’ sign. For 
example, in 12+7, the terms are 12 and 7, as marked below.
12 7
+ 12 + 7 =
We will keep marking each term of an expression as above. Note 
that this way of marking the terms is not a usual practice. This will be 
done until you become familiar with this concept.
Now, what are the terms in 83 – 14? We know that subtracting a 
number is the same as adding the inverse of the number. Recall that 
the inverse of a given number has the sign opposite to it. For example, 
the inverse of 14 is –14, and the inverse of –14 is 14. Thus, subtracting 
14 from 83 is the same as adding –14 to 83. That is,
83 – 14
+ 83 – 14 =
 
Thus, the terms of the expression 83 – 14 are 83 and –14. 
Check if replacing subtraction by addition in this way does not change 
the value of the expression, by taking di??erent examples.
Can you explain why subtracting a number is the same as adding its 
inverse, using the Token Model of integers that we saw in the Class 
6 textbook of mathematics? 
All subtractions in an expression are converted to additions in this 
manner to identify the terms.
Here are some more examples of expressions and their terms:
– 18 – 3
+
–18 – 3 =
6 × 5 3
+
6 × 5 + 3 =
2 – 10
+
2 – 10 + 4 × 6 = 4 × 6
+
Note that 6 × 5, 4 × 6 are single terms as they do not have any ‘+’ sign.
In the following table, some expressions are given. Complete the table.
Try
This
Chapter-2.indd   28 Chapter-2.indd   28 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM 4/12/2025   11:27:34 AM
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