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Badminton Maths

Badminton personal bests maths challenge

A child-friendly sports challenge using personal bests to practise subtraction with real examples.

Quick answer

You can use subtraction to find out how much your badminton score has improved by comparing your old score to your new score.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to use subtraction to find the difference between your old badminton score and your new score to see how much you have improved. Success signs:
  • You can subtract two numbers to find the difference
  • You can compare your old score with your new score
  • You can explain how much you have improved
  • You can use subtraction to track your progress in badminton

Why this matters

When you play badminton, it's fun to see how much you've improved over time. Subtraction helps you work out how many points you've gained or lost. This skill is useful not just in sports, but also in everyday life – like checking how much money you have saved or how much time you've spent on something. Understanding how to find differences helps you keep track of your progress and celebrate your achievements.

How it works

To find how much your badminton score has improved, you need to:
  1. Write down your old score
  2. Write down your new score
  3. Subtract your old score from your new score
  4. See the difference – this tells you how much you improved
Let's say you scored 12 points last week and now you scored 18 points. You can find the difference by doing 18 minus 12, which equals 6. That means you improved by 6 points.

Examples you can see

Here are some examples of how to find your badminton personal bests using subtraction: Example 1: Simple subtraction
  • Old score: 10 points
  • New score: 15 points
  • Subtract: 15 - 10 = 5
  • You improved by 5 points!
Example 2: Subtracting larger numbers
  • Old score: 23 points
  • New score: 31 points
  • Subtract: 31 - 23 = 8
  • You improved by 8 points!
Example 3: When you didn’t improve
  • Old score: 17 points
  • New score: 14 points
  • Subtract: 14 - 17 = -3
  • This means you scored 3 points less than before

Try it as a mini adventure

Imagine you are a badminton champion who wants to track your progress over time. You have a special notebook where you write down your scores after every game. Adventure time! 1st time: You played a game and scored 12 points. 2nd time: You played another game and scored 16 points. 3rd time: You played a game and scored 10 points. 4th time: You played a game and scored 21 points. 5th time: You played a game and scored 18 points. Now, you want to find out how much you improved each time. Let's do this together:
  • First to second game: 16 - 12 = 4 points
  • Second to third game: 10 - 16 = -6 points (You scored 6 points less)
  • Third to fourth game: 21 - 10 = 11 points
  • Fourth to fifth game: 18 - 21 = -3 points (You scored 3 points less)
Great job! You've found how much you improved each time. You also noticed that sometimes you scored fewer points, which is normal in sports. The important thing is that you're tracking your progress.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Subtracting in the wrong order
    • Why it happens: Sometimes children forget which number to start with
    • Fix: Always subtract the old score from the new score. New score minus old score
  • Mistake: Forgetting that a negative number means you scored less
    • Why it happens: Not understanding that subtraction can give a negative answer
    • Fix: Explain that a negative number means you scored fewer points than before
  • Mistake: Thinking that subtraction always makes numbers bigger
    • Why it happens: Confusing subtraction with addition
    • Fix: Remind that subtraction can make numbers smaller or even negative

Parent and carer guide

As a parent or carer, you can help your child by:
  • Playing badminton together and keeping track of scores
  • Using a notebook or phone to write down scores after each game
  • Encouraging your child to calculate how much they improved each time
  • Reinforcing that it's okay to score fewer points sometimes – it's all part of learning and improving
  • Practising subtraction with other real-life examples, like money or time
Remember, the goal is not to focus on winning, but on seeing how much you've improved. Celebrate small wins and encourage your child to keep trying. You can even create a chart to show your child's progress over time.

Practice questions

  1. Old score: 8 points. New score: 13 points. How much did you improve?
  2. Old score: 25 points. New score: 20 points. How much did you improve?
  3. Old score: 14 points. New score: 22 points. How much did you improve?
  4. Old score: 9 points. New score: 9 points. How much did you improve?
  5. Old score: 17 points. New score: 24 points. How much did you improve?
Answers:
  1. 13 - 8 = 5 points
  2. 20 - 25 = -5 points (You scored 5 points less)
  3. 22 - 14 = 8 points
  4. 9 - 9 = 0 points
  5. 24 - 17 = 7 points

FAQ

What is the badminton personal bests maths challenge?

This is a fun way to use subtraction to track your progress in badminton. You compare your old scores with new scores to see how much you've improved.

Why do we use subtraction in badminton?

Subtraction helps us see how much our scores have changed. It shows whether we've improved or not, and by how much.

Can I use this method for other sports?

Yes! You can use subtraction to track your scores in football, basketball, tennis, or any sport you play.

What if I score fewer points than before?

If you score fewer points, your subtraction will give a negative number. This means you scored less than before, but that's normal in sports and part of learning.

How can I make this more fun?

You can make a chart to show your scores over time, or play a game where you try to beat your personal best each week.