Solve the following equation:
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Solve the following equation:
Let's first identify the lowest common denominator between 4 and 6
To determine the lowest common denominator, we need to find a number that is divisible by both 4 and 6.
In this case, the common denominator is 12.
Now we'll proceed to multiply each fraction by the appropriate number to reach the denominator 12.
We'll multiply the first fraction by 2
We'll multiply the second fraction by 3
Now let's subtract:
Without calculating, determine whether the quotient in the division exercise is less than 1 or not:
\( 5:6= \)
Because means 5 pieces of size 1/6 while means 2 pieces of size 1/4. You can't subtract different-sized pieces directly! You need a common denominator first.
List the multiples of each number: 6: 6, 12, 18, 24... and 4: 4, 8, 12, 16... The smallest number that appears in both lists is 12, so LCD = 12.
Yes, always simplify! In this problem, can be simplified to by dividing both numerator and denominator by 4.
Lucky you! When denominators are the same, just subtract the numerators and keep the same denominator. For example:
You could, but be careful with rounding errors! Converting gives 0.833... which is hard to work with exactly. The LCD method gives precise answers.
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