Elementary arithmetic

<p><b>Elementary arithmetic</b> is the simplified portion of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arithmetic" title="Arithmetic">arithmetic</a> that includes the operations of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addition" title="Addition">addition</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtraction" title="Subtraction">subtraction</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplication" title="Multiplication">multiplication</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_%28mathematics%29" title="Division (mathematics)">division</a>. It should not be confused with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_function_arithmetic" title="Elementary function arithmetic">elementary function arithmetic</a>.

Elementary arithmetic starts with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_numbers" title="Natural numbers" class="mw-redirect">natural numbers</a> and the written symbols (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_digit" title="Numerical digit">digits</a>) that represent them. The process for combining a pair of these numbers with the four basic operations traditionally relies on memorized results for small values of numbers, including the contents of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplication_table" title="Multiplication table">multiplication table</a> to assist with multiplication and division.

Elementary arithmetic also includes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraction_%28mathematics%29" title="Fraction (mathematics)">fractions</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_numbers" title="Negative numbers" class="mw-redirect">negative numbers</a>, which can be represented on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_line" title="Number line">number line</a>.</p>