To find out how much wood you need to cut from the board, subtract the desired thickness (1/2 inch) from the current thickness (1 1/4 inches).
First, convert 1 1/4 inches to an improper fraction:
1 1/4 = 1 + 1/4 = 4/4 + 1/4 = 5/4 inches.
Now, subtract:
5/4 inches - 1/2 inches.
To subtract these fractions, we need a common denominator. The least common denominator of 4 and 2 is 4.
Convert 1/2 to a fraction with a denominator of 4:
1/2 = 2/4.
Now, subtract:
5/4 - 2/4 = (5 - 2)/4 = 3/4.
Therefore, you need to cut 3/4 inches off the board to reduce it from 1 1/4 inches to 1/2 inch.