Solve the Fraction Subtraction: 1/3 minus 1/5

Question

Solve the following exercise:

1315=? \frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{5}=\text{?}

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:05 Let's solve this problem step by step.
00:09 First, multiply by the second denominator. This helps us find a common denominator.
00:15 Remember, multiply both the numerator and the denominator. This keeps the fraction balanced.
00:24 Now, let's calculate the products carefully.
00:29 Next, subtract using the common denominator we've found.
00:38 Great! Let's calculate the new numerator.
00:42 And that's how we solve the problem. Well done!

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the problem 1315 \frac{1}{3} - \frac{1}{5} , we follow these steps:

First, we need to find a common denominator for the fractions 13\frac{1}{3} and 15\frac{1}{5}. The denominators are 3 and 5, and their least common multiple (LCM) is 15.

We will convert each fraction to an equivalent fraction with the denominator 15:

  • To convert 13\frac{1}{3} to a fraction with denominator 15, multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 5: 13=1×53×5=515 \frac{1}{3} = \frac{1 \times 5}{3 \times 5} = \frac{5}{15}
  • To convert 15\frac{1}{5} to a fraction with denominator 15, multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 3: 15=1×35×3=315 \frac{1}{5} = \frac{1 \times 3}{5 \times 3} = \frac{3}{15}

Now that both fractions have the same denominator, we can subtract the numerators:

515315=5315=215 \frac{5}{15} - \frac{3}{15} = \frac{5 - 3}{15} = \frac{2}{15}

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 215\frac{2}{15}.

Answer

215 \frac{2}{15}