Use mental math to solve the problem 8.02 - 5.98 Explain the method of mental math u used to find the answer. Be specific with each step u look

To solve the problem \( 8.02 - 5.98 \) using mental math, we can follow these steps:

1. **Break down the numbers**: Recognize that both numbers can be seen as whole numbers plus decimals.
- \( 8.02 \) can be thought of as \( 8 + 0.02 \)
- \( 5.98 \) can be thought of as \( 6 - 0.02 \)

2. **Adjust the second number**: Instead of subtracting \( 5.98 \), adjust it to a more whole number. We can do this by rounding \( 5.98 \) to \( 6 \) and then simply adjusting afterward.
- So, we can think of \( 8.02 - 5.98 \) as \( 8.02 - 6 + 0.02 \)

3. **Perform the subtraction**: Now calculate \( 8.02 - 6 \):
- \( 8.02 - 6 = 2.02 \)
- Then adjust for the \( +0.02 \):
- \( 2.02 + 0.02 = 2.04 \)

4. **Final Result**: The final answer is \( 2.04 \).

By following these mental math steps, we managed the subtraction by breaking down the numbers and adjusting them for easier calculation. The key technique here is to work with whole numbers and then make adjustments, which simplifies the mental calculation process.