what's the difference between minus, subtract,deduct?

nick   Sat Jun 09, 2007 4:47 am GMT
I am working my math now, how to use these words?
Guest   Sat Jun 09, 2007 6:51 am GMT
In maths they operate on numbers the same way.

e.g. 7 minus 5 ~ subtract 5 from 7 ~ deduct 5 from 7
Skippy   Sat Jun 09, 2007 7:13 am GMT
there really isn't much difference... if you're not a native english speaker, it's not really important to distinguish...

i'd say "minus" is only used in equations,as in "five minus three is two." subtract is used as a command verb, like "subtract three from five." and deduct would probably be found more often in business situations as the noun "deduction."