Subtract these two fractions:
[tex]$\frac{3}{4}-\frac{1}{2}=?$[/tex]
Answer (1)
Find a common denominator for the fractions, which is 4.
Convert 2 1 to 4 2 .
Subtract the fractions: 4 3 − 4 2 = 4 1 .
The final answer is 4 1 .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are asked to subtract two fractions: 4 3 and 2 1 . To do this, we need to find a common denominator.
Finding the Common Denominator The least common denominator (LCD) of 4 and 2 is 4. We need to rewrite the fraction 2 1 with the denominator 4.
Converting Fractions To convert 2 1 to a fraction with a denominator of 4, we multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 2: 2 1 = 2 × 2 1 × 2 = 4 2
Subtracting Fractions Now we can subtract the two fractions: 4 3 − 4 2 = 4 3 − 2 = 4 1
Final Answer The result of the subtraction is 4 1 .
Examples
Fractions are used in everyday life, such as when measuring ingredients for cooking or determining proportions in various situations. For example, if you have a pizza that is cut into 4 slices and you eat 1 slice, you have eaten 4 1 of the pizza. If you started with 4 3 of a pizza and ate 2 1 of the whole pizza, you would be left with 4 1 of the pizza.
