Definition
Difference
The difference is a subtraction result or, in a comparison, the amount separating two values.
What it means
Look at the wording. In 14 − 9, the difference is 5. In “What is the difference between 9 and 14?”, it usually asks how far apart the values are, also 5. In an ordered subtraction, swapping the numbers can change the sign.
Remember it
Subtract to find what separates the values.
Example
One shelf has 17 books and another has 12. Their comparison difference is 17 − 12 = 5, so the first shelf has 5 more books.
Watch for
People can have a difference of opinion in everyday speech; that is not the mathematical sense.
Common mix-up
Difference does not always mean “larger minus smaller.” In the ordered expression 6 − 10, the difference is −4.
Exact meaning
Difference means the result of one quantity minus another; when a problem asks for the difference between two quantities, it often means their non-negative comparison distance.