Henry needs to solve the problem 5 1/2 − 1 3/7 . What is the difference?

Answer 1

To solve the problem 5 1/2 - 1 3/7, we first need to convert both mixed numbers into improper fractions.

5 1/2 is equivalent to (5*2 + 1)/2 = 11/2
1 3/7 is equivalent to (1*7 + 3)/7 = 10/7

Now, we can subtract the fractions:

11/2 - 10/7

To do this, we need to find a common denominator for both fractions. The least common multiple of 2 and 7 is 14.

So, we can rewrite the fractions with the common denominator of 14:

(11/2)(7/7) - (10/7)(2/2) = 77/14 - 20/14

Now that the fractions have the same denominator, we can simply subtract the numerators:

77/14 - 20/14 = (77 - 20)/14 = 57/14

Therefore, the difference is 57/14.