Question

Subtract. State the difference in simplest form.
7/4m - 4/3m

Answer 1

To subtract the fractions \( \frac{7}{4}m \) and \( \frac{4}{3}m \), we first need a common denominator.

The denominators are 4 and 3. The least common multiple of 4 and 3 is 12.

Now, we can convert each fraction to have the denominator of 12:

1. Convert \( \frac{7}{4}m \) to twelfths:
\[
\frac{7}{4}m = \frac{7 \times 3}{4 \times 3}m = \frac{21}{12}m
\]

2. Convert \( \frac{4}{3}m \) to twelfths:
\[
\frac{4}{3}m = \frac{4 \times 4}{3 \times 4}m = \frac{16}{12}m
\]

Now, we can subtract the two fractions:
\[
\frac{21}{12}m - \frac{16}{12}m = \frac{21 - 16}{12}m = \frac{5}{12}m
\]

So, the difference in simplest form is:
\[
\frac{5}{12}m
\]