The larger bar is the smaller bar plus the difference of 188. Take 188 off the total to leave 2 equal units.

Smaller?Larger?188540

Plain numbers are given; italic underlined numbers are worked out.

  1. 2 units + 188 → 540
  2. 2 units → 540 − 188 = 352
  3. 1 unit (smaller) → 352 ÷ 2 = 176

The smaller number is 176.

Check: 176 + 364 = 540 and 364 − 176 = 188. ✓