38 plus what equals 40?

This is how to calculate "38 plus what equals 40?" In other words, 38 plus a number equals 40. What is that number? We start by converting this word problem into an equation where "what" is what we want to solve:

38 + what = 40

To solve this equation, we first add -38 to each side of the equal sign like this:

38 - 38 + what = 40 - 38

Then, we do the calculation to get the answer to "38 plus what equals 40?" as follows:

What = 2

The answer to "38 plus what equals 40?" is 2. You know this answer is correct because 38 plus 2 equals 40.

Plus What Equals Calculator
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38 plus what equals 41?
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