QuestionVisualizing Fraction Subtra
What is the difference?
CLEAR
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
What is this asking? We need to subtract two mixed numbers and find the difference. Watch out! Remember to find a common denominator before subtracting fractions!
STEP 2
1. Convert to Improper Fractions
2. Find a Common Denominator
3. Subtract the Fractions
4. Convert Back to a Mixed Number
STEP 3
Alright, let's **kick things off** by converting these mixed numbers into improper fractions!
We take the whole number part and multiply it by the denominator, then add the numerator.
For , we have , so our improper fraction is .
STEP 4
Now, let's do the same for .
We have , giving us .
STEP 5
To subtract fractions, we need a common denominator.
We have and .
The **smallest common denominator** is **8**, since 2 divides evenly into 8.
STEP 6
We need to convert to have a denominator of 8.
We can do this by multiplying the numerator and denominator by **4**: .
Remember, multiplying by is the same as multiplying by **1**, so it doesn't change the value of the fraction, just how it looks!
STEP 7
Now that we have a common denominator, we can subtract! .
Boom!
STEP 8
Let's turn our improper fraction, , back into a mixed number.
How many times does 8 go into 15?
It goes in **once** with a remainder of **7**.
So, our mixed number is .
STEP 9
The difference between and is .
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