Question

How do you subtract `9\frac { 1} { 12} - 5\frac { 3} { 8} - 1\frac { 3} { 4}`?

Answer 1

`1 23/24`

Explanation:

Convert the mixed fractions to an improper fractions (numerator larger than the denominator)

`color(red)9 color(green)1/color(blue)12-color(red)5 color(green)3/color(blue)8-color(red)1 color(green)3/color(blue)4`

`=(color(red)9(color(blue)12)+color(green)1)/color(blue)12-(color(red)5(color(blue)8)+color(green)3)/color(blue)8-(color(red)1(color(blue)4)+color(green)3)/color(blue)4`

`=109/12-43/8-7/4`

Unify the denominators

`=(109color(brown)((2)))/(12color(brown)((2)))-(43color(brown)((3)))/(8color(brown)((3)))-(7color(brown)((6)))/(4color(brown)((6)))`

`=218/24-129/24-42/24`

`=(218-129-42)/24`

`=47/24`

You can stop here or convert the solution to a mixed fraction

`=(24+23)/24`

`=24/24+23/24`

`=1+23/24`

`=1 23/24`