Hi guys! "to do sums" vs. "to solve a problem". What's the difference between these two? I usually say "to solve a problem" when it comes to solving any math/chemistry problems in particular. Today, I found the sentence "he did sums" to describe the solving progress. Isn't it an old fashioned way of saying that?

Question

Hi guys! "to do sums" vs. "to solve a problem".  What's the difference between these two? I usually say "to solve a problem" when it comes to solving any math/chemistry problems in particular. Today, I found the sentence "he did sums" to describe the solving progress. Isn't it an old fashioned way of saying that?

Answer

It is an old-fashioned phrase and it is also used more in British English than in American English. The phrase "to do sums" is also less formal than saying "so solve a problem". The word "sum" means the result of addition so the phrase "do sums" is an informal way of saying doing any kind of math problem.