Subtract Fractions & Decimals Practice

Question

Question
What is −6 7/12 − 4 1/3

Answer 1

To subtract mixed numbers, we first need to convert them to improper fractions.

To convert -6 7/12 to an improper fraction:
- Multiply the whole number (-6) by the denominator of the fraction (12) and add the numerator (7).
- Write the result (with the same sign as the whole number) as the numerator and use the denominator of the fraction.
- -6 7/12 becomes -79/12.

To convert -4 1/3 to an improper fraction:
- Multiply the whole number (-4) by the denominator of the fraction (3) and add the numerator (1).
- Write the result (with the same sign as the whole number) as the numerator and use the denominator of the fraction.
- -4 1/3 becomes -13/3.

Now that we have the improper fractions, we can subtract them:
-79/12 - 13/3

To subtract fractions, the denominators must be the same. We can find a common denominator by multiplying the denominators together:
12 * 3 = 36

Now we can rewrite the fractions with the common denominator and subtract:
(-79/12)(3/3) - (13/3)(12/12) = -237/36 - 156/36

Now that the fractions have the same denominator, we can subtract the numerators and keep the denominator the same:
(-237/36) - (156/36) = -393/36

The fraction cannot be simplified, so the answer is -393/36.