Why does 1st grade math require a formula for simple addition like 9+3?

spinrevus87

Alright, so it’s just 1st‑grade stuff. I know how many grapes Tommy ate. But I’m stuck on the formula they want us to crank out to show the steps. She can pull off 9+3 easy, no extra math. Am I just missing something?

IndigoLdnCr3t1n

They're teaching base‑10. The goal: make a ten, then add the remainder. It mirrors the vertical‑stack method they taught.

VelcroViking

That's one of the reasons we homeschool our 10‑year‑old. We went through that nonsense with our niece, and all it did was confuse the kids.

MindCrackNexus

I’ve always felt that this new math is just my way of doing calculations in my head, a mental shortcut that sometimes feels redundant when the numbers arre tiny yeah, we all know 9 + 3 = 12. Yet when the figures get larger, like at lunch when I offer to pay the bill, yours comes to $37 and mine to $48, I picture myself adding two dollars to my meal and taking two from yours 50 + 35 and the answer appears without ever needing to pull out a calculator.

ToxicVandalizer

Amateur mathematician here and this is my take.

It’s not “dumb” nor making it more complicated. It’s building a foundation for advancement. This is an application of math facts (1+9=10, 2+8=10 etc.) and that 10 is a partial quotient that will come into play during long division. That visual representation a base‑10 imprint will help when it comes to using algebra tiles and manipulatives (physical tiles) later on.

Pixiluxe28

I know it feels silly.
They teach mental shortcuts for arithmetic at this level.
My parents taught me similar things alongside basic math in grade school.
But.
It does help teach concepts used in higher‑level math.
I saw it again while earning my BS in Electrical Engineering.

I think grade school teachers believe they are just helping kids with math, so they focus on the wrong thing.
Now that I homeschool my babies, I see the point.

Zepticree

I see a lot of people calling this dumb, but I think it’s great… (learned the old style like all of you).

Math is about logic not memorizing. 9+3=12 is cemented into our head and counting up 3 spots from 9 is extremely easy, but all of that goes out the window when the equation is 937,286,834,128,047+748,229,703,228,633.

“Old math” is tracking ₁₅ equations. “New math” is tracking a maximum of 4.

SlickyBronson

It helps your brain come up with “friendly” numbers when you run into a problem like this. Basically, you’re borrowing a 1 from the 3 and adding it to the 9 so you get a tidy 10 because 10 + 2 feels a lot easier than 9 + 3. Teachers show us these tricks because we all “do math differently,” so they give us a bunch of strategies to try as we grow.

SnekPlissken94

They're trying to get kids to group numbers into easier to add numbers

cruzpoplivesprime

I wish I'd learned it this way as a child. I would have understood math much better. I hated math then because I didn't see why we did anything. I didn't like the excuse, “because that’s the way it’s done.”

FindSofiMusic

Don't let this mess with your head, just roll with it and pick it up. I thought it was dumb,too. I kept wondering why they were pulling all those extra, pointless steps, but after a year they just ditched that and started doing it mentally…no stacking, no carrying like we used to (that’s how my kids leveled up in school). Now my 6‑year‑old can crunch weird 3‑ and 4‑digit numbers in her head faster than me. So yeah, there’s a method to the crazy madness.

Frostbyte90

I know I’ve mentioned before that I’m trying to learn a pattern because it makes things feel easier.
Because later, when I face 47×23, I can see it transform into (50‑3)×(20+3), and that honestly feels way easier.
But I realize it all starts with a foundation.
I try to get to the nearest ten or five first, then add the rest.
I’ve memorized formulas and facts, hoping they’ll hold me up.
In this vulnerable way, I’m learning to think more logically.

TrinityWes

They like kids to round to nearest 10. They think it makes mental math easier. So 9+1 +2 =10 +2 = 12

aiguessmaster92

The only thing to really understand is that it forces the purchase of new textbooks/learning resources… whether it legitimately makes it easier to understand math is a secondary concern for those who are directly influenced by the textbook publishing monopolies for curriculum procurement follow the money trail.

ChadCabbageSmece

I never “learned” it, but that’s how I do quick estimates. 🤓 If something’s $33.99 and another’s $19.99, I just round to ~ $60 incl. tax. Never wrote it down just makes sense in my head. 👍

SparkzByte

We homeschool my daughter. She began figuring out this kind of regrouping entirely by herself. There are no “evil teachers,” no “the system is out to get them” just the way her mind, and the minds of many children, naturally work. If people cling to the old ways because “that’s how I did it,” then perhaps they should write letters by hand with a quill and ride out on horseback to deliver them.

johnwood24

It’s not about 9 + 3; it’s about teaching a method. That’s how most people handle mental math for larger numbers, making complex addition easier in the head. It looks silly on paper with such small numbers.

relevantdimming

I can't remember what we called it, but we did this in math back in the late '80s first grade. We’d just group things into tens.

lazwildbeach

You are not missing anything; it feels confusing because it indeed is. The intention is to teach children the “make a 10” strategy. Rather than merely memorizing 9 + 3, they are asked to split the 3 into 1 and 2, so that 9 + 1 equals 10, and then 10 + 2 equals 12. The focus is on developing number sense and presenting alternative solution methods rather than solely obtaining the answer. Your daughter can certainly calculate 9 + 3 directly, yet this approach will support her later with more complex arithmetic such as 19 + 7 or mental subtraction. It may seem like overkill, but it provides practice in flexible thinking.

SunnyPenguin

I see what they're aiming for, but they're turning a super simple equation into something way more complicated. They don’t even break the whole thing down properly. Simple equations should stay short and simple.