Column addition – Grade 3
Column addition for Grade 3: align place values, record carries and check the total. Learn from worked examples and practise with answers.
🎯 What you will learn
- ✓Align place values
- ✓Record carries
- ✓Check by estimating
💡 How it works
Learn “Column addition – Grade 3” in small steps: understand the method first, then practise with a worksheet or online test.
How it works
💡 Rule: align place values, calculate right to left, and write every carry.
In column addition, ones go under ones, tens under tens and hundreds under hundreds. Always calculate from right to left.
If a column totals more than 9, write the ones digit and carry the ten to the next column. For 48 + 37: 8 + 7 = 15, write 5 and carry 1; then 4 + 3 + 1 = 8.
Estimate to check: 48 is about 50 and 37 about 40, so the answer should be close to 90.
🧩 See the method
✍️ Worked examples
Worked examples 1
48 + 37
- 1.8 + 7 = 15: write 5, carry 1.
- 2.4 + 3 + 1 = 8.
- 3.Answer: 85
✓ 85
Worked examples 2
276 + 148
- 1.6 + 8 = 14: write 4, carry 1.
- 2.7 + 4 + 1 = 12: write 2, carry 1.
- 3.2 + 1 + 1 = 4: answer 424
✓ 424
⚠️ Common mistakes
- • Not aligning place values.
- • Forgetting the carry.
📝 Try it yourself
1.
56 + 28
Show answer
84
2.
79 + 46
Show answer
125
3.
137 + 252
Show answer
389
4.
468 + 125
Show answer
593
5.
289 + 346
Show answer
635
6.
507 + 188
Show answer
695
Create matching questions
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FAQ
Why work right to left?
A carry from ones moves to tens.
How check 48 + 37 = 85?
50 + 40 is about 90, so 85 is plausible.