To pass the exam, Frannie needs to score at least twelve of the fourteen possible points. However, she only scored nine points. How many points short was she of passing?

Answer 1

Use subtraction:

12 - 9 = ?

Answer 2

If Frannie needs to score at least 12 points and only scores 9, then we can set up the inequality

x ≥ 12.

Since we know she scored 9 points, we do not need to concern ourselves with whether x > 12 - 9 so we set up the equation x - 9 = 12- 9. x is the points she scored. 12 was the goal. 12 - 9 is how many points she scored. + 9 + 9 We add 9 to each side since this is the inverse of subtracting nine.

x = 3 points.