Reading a table: the whole row, and a missing cell

The table shows the boys and girls from four schools at a swimming meet. Which school sent the greatest number of pupils? Try it first. Pause if you like. Pupils means boys and girls together. We need the total for each school, so read each whole row. Start at Hillview Primary. Follow the row across both the boys and girls columns. Pupils from Hillview equal 46 plus 38, which is 84. Move to Riverside Primary, and read both numbers in that row. Pupils from Riverside equal 52 plus 29, which is 81. Read the whole Meadow Primary row next. Pupils from Meadow equal 41 plus 47, which is 88. Then read both numbers for Sunrise Primary. Pupils from Sunrise equal 39 plus 44, which is 83. Now compare the four totals in the working: 84, 81, 88 and 83. 88 is the greatest, so Meadow Primary sent the greatest number of pupils. Read across the whole row before comparing. The row total answers a question about all the pupils.

The table shows adults and children at a fun fair on Saturday and Sunday. How many more children than adults visited on Saturday? Try it first. Pause if you like. The Saturday children cell has a question mark. Which other numbers in that row let us find it? Follow Saturday across the row. The total includes both adults and children. Subtract the adults from the total, in columns. 5 tens become 4; the ones become 10. Ones: 10 minus 4 is 6. 1 hundred becomes 0; the tens become 14. Tens: 14 minus 6 is 8. 3 thousands become 2; the hundreds become 10. Hundreds: 10 minus 2 is 8. Thousands: 2 minus 1 is 1. Children on Saturday equal three thousand, one hundred and fifty minus one thousand, two hundred and sixty four, which is one thousand, eight hundred and eighty six. The missing Saturday cell is now filled. The question asks how many more children than adults, so compare those two cells. Subtract the adults from the children, in columns. Ones: 6 minus 4 is 2. Tens: 8 minus 6 is 2. Hundreds: 8 minus 2 is 6. Thousands: 1 minus 1 is 0, so no thousands are left. More children than adults equals one thousand, eight hundred and eighty six minus one thousand, two hundred and sixty four, which is six hundred and twenty two. Six hundred and twenty two more children visited on Saturday. Sunday is not needed, so its total stays as a question mark.