ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Elementary arithmetic

Elementary arithmetic is all about learning to do basic math. This means counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. Let's start with counting:

Counting: Counting is the process of saying numbers in order, like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and so on. It helps us to understand how many objects we have.

Adding: Adding means combining two or more numbers together to get a total. Suppose you have 2 balls, and your friend gives you 3 more, then you add 2 and 3 together to get 5 balls.

Subtracting: Subtracting means taking away one number from another. For example, if you have 6 candies and you eat 2 of them, then you subtract 2 from 6 to get 4 candies left.

Multiplying: Multiplying means repeating a number several times. Think of it as counting in groups. If you have 4 pencils and you want to multiply them by 2, you would write 4 x 2 = 8. This means you have 8 pencils in total.

Dividing: Dividing means splitting one number into equal parts. For example, if you have 8 candies and you want to share them equally with 2 friends, you would divide the candies into 3 equal parts. Each person would get 4 candies.

So, elementary arithmetic is all about these basic math operations of counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. It helps us to solve problems and understand numbers in our daily lives.