Margaret needs to find the value of the expression below. 1/2 - 3/4 (11 +5) + 1/4

Question

A. 1/2 - (3/4 + 1/4) - 16
B. (1/2 + 1/4) - 33/4 + 5
C. 1/2 - 3/4 - 16 - 1/4
D. (1/2 + 1/4) - 12

Answer 1

To find the value of the expression, we need to simplify it using the order of operations (PEMDAS).

The expression is:
1/2 - 3/4 (11 + 5) + 1/4

First, we simplify the parentheses:
1/2 - 3/4 (16) + 1/4

Next, we perform the multiplication inside the parentheses:
1/2 - 3/4 * 16 + 1/4

Multiplying 3/4 by 16 gives us 12:
1/2 - 12 + 1/4

Next, we add 1/2 and 1/4:
1/2 + 1/4 - 12

To add fractions, we need to have a common denominator. The common denominator for 2 and 4 is 4, so we convert 1/2 to an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 4:
2/4 + 1/4 - 12

Now that we have a common denominator, we can add the fractions:
3/4 - 12

Finally, we subtract 12 from 3/4:
-12 + 3/4

So the value of the expression is -12 + 3/4, which can be written as an improper fraction:

-12 + 3/4 = -48/4 + 3/4 = -45/4

Therefore, the correct answer is D. (1/2 + 1/4) - 12.