Solve the following exercise:
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Solve the following exercise:
To solve the problem , we follow these steps:
First, we need to find a common denominator for the fractions and . 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:
Now that both fractions have the same denominator, we can subtract the numerators:
Therefore, the solution to the problem is .
\( \frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{4}= \)
Because fractions represent parts of a whole, not separate numbers! You can only subtract fractions when they have the same denominator - like subtracting 5 apples from 3 apples, not 3 apples from 5 oranges.
List multiples of each number: 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15... 5: 5, 10, 15... The first number that appears in both lists is 15, so LCM(3,5) = 15.
The same process works! Find the LCM of the denominators, convert both fractions, then subtract. For larger numbers, you can use prime factorization to find the LCM more easily.
Yes, always check! Look for common factors between the numerator and denominator. In this case, is already in lowest terms since 2 and 15 share no common factors.
That's possible! If you're subtracting a larger fraction from a smaller one, like , you'd get . Just keep the negative sign with the numerator.
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