87 plus what equals 38?

This is how to calculate "87 plus what equals 38?" In other words, 87 plus a number equals 38. What is that number? We start by converting this word problem into an equation where "what" is what we want to solve:

87 + what = 38

To solve this equation, we first add -87 to each side of the equal sign like this:

87 - 87 + what = 38 - 87

Then, we do the calculation to get the answer to "87 plus what equals 38?" as follows:

What = -49

The answer to "87 plus what equals 38?" is -49. You know this answer is correct because 87 plus -49 equals 38.

Plus What Equals Calculator
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