Adding distances
A long journey is rarely one straight ride. There are stops, breaks, and changes of bus. To find the total distance covered, we add the legs.
What is this?
When we add big numbers, the most reliable way is to write them one below the other, lining up ones under ones, tens under tens, hundreds under hundreds, and thousands under thousands. Then we add column by column starting from the right.
Sometimes a column adds up to ten or more. We "carry" the extra ten to the next column on the left. This is the same rule we used for smaller numbers in earlier classes , only the numbers are bigger now.
Adding distances also helps when we add petrol cost, toll charges, or ticket prices. If a bus ticket from Delhi to Jaipur is ₹485 and from Jaipur to Ajmer is ₹220, the total fare is ₹705. The skill is the same , just keep the columns straight.
A clever check: when you finish, add the numbers again in a different order. If you get the same total, you have done it right. Addition does not care about order , 250 + 470 is the same as 470 + 250.
Worked examples
Example 1. A car travels 385 km on Monday and 467 km on Tuesday. How far in total?
3 8 5
+ 4 6 7
-------
8 5 2
Total = 852 km.
Example 2. A bus covers three legs: 1,250 km, 875 km, and 1,640 km. Find the total.
1 2 5 0
8 7 5
+ 1 6 4 0
---------
3 7 6 5
Total = 3,765 km.
Example 3. Ravi spends ₹240 on a bus ticket, ₹85 on water, and ₹125 on snacks. How much did he spend in all?
- 240 + 85 + 125 = ₹450.
Try it
- 348 + 256.
- 1,475 + 982.
- 2,360 + 1,540 + 750.
- A train route is Delhi → Kanpur (440 km) → Lucknow (90 km) → Varanasi (290 km). Find the total distance.
- Sita's auto fare was ₹65, bus ₹120, and metro ₹40. How much did she spend?
Hands-on
Family kilometre log. For one week, ask everyone at home roughly how many km they travelled in a day (walking, scooter, bus). Note them down and add them up at the end of the week. What is the family's total?
Real-route addition. Pick a journey on the map between three cities A → B → C. Find the two distances. Add them and announce the full trip length to a family member.