Solve the Fraction Subtraction: 3/8 minus 1/3 Step-by-Step

To solve the problem of subtracting $\frac{1}{3}$ from $\frac{3}{8}$, follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify the denominators of the fractions, which are 8 and 3, respectively. The least common denominator (LCD) is the product of these two denominators, as they have no common factors. Thus, the LCD is $8 \times 3 = 24$.

Step 2: Convert each fraction to an equivalent form with the common denominator 24.

• Convert $\frac{3}{8}$ to an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 24 by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by $\frac{24}{8} = 3$:
  $\frac{3}{8} \times \frac{3}{3} = \frac{9}{24}$.
• Convert $\frac{1}{3}$ to an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 24 by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by $\frac{24}{3} = 8$:
  $\frac{1}{3} \times \frac{8}{8} = \frac{8}{24}$.

Step 3: Subtract the numerators of these equivalent fractions, maintaining the common denominator:

$\frac{9}{24} - \frac{8}{24} = \frac{9 - 8}{24} = \frac{1}{24}$.

Therefore, the solution to $\frac{3}{8} - \frac{1}{3}$ is $\frac{1}{24}$.