Dublin have 7 points on the board. Kerry have 4. Which team is ahead, and by how many? Look at these two cube towers, 7 red and 4 blue, to help you see the gap.

Our towers were 7 and 4. Those same numbers sit on the number line.

Start just after 4. Hop to 5, then 6, then 7. That is three steps. So 7 is 3 more than 4.

We write it with the take-away sign: 7 − 4 = 3. The answer 3 is the difference: how many more. Nothing went away; we only compared.

Before we count the last pair, think: how many more is 10 than 8?

Let's try it on our number line. Mark two numbers and count the steps between them.

Try pairs such as 3 and 6, 6 and 10, 7 and 11, or 9 and 14.

Four quick scoreboard pairs. For each one, read the two numbers, count the gap, then place the marker on how many more.

• 5 and 3
• 8 and 5
• 10 and 6
• 12 and 9