What is Less vs Fewer in Math?

In math, "less" and "fewer" describe quantity, but are used in different contexts. "Less" refers to quantities that are continuous and not countable as individual units, while "fewer" refers to quantities that are countable.

Here's a breakdown:

• Less: Used for uncountable nouns (mass nouns). These are things that can't easily be counted as individual items. Think of things like volume, weight, or abstract concepts.

  • Examples:
    • "There is less water in the glass." (You can't count "water" as individual units)
    • "I spent less time on that problem." (You can't count "time" as individual units)
    • "There is less than one gallon of paint left."

• Fewer: Used for countable nouns (discrete nouns). These are things that can be counted as individual items.

  • Examples:
    • "There are fewer apples in the basket." (You can count each individual apple)
    • "I have fewer than ten problems left to solve." (You can count each individual problem)
    • "Fewer students attended the lecture today."

In essence, if you can use a number directly before the quantity, use "fewer". If you can't naturally count the item one by one, use "less".