Solve the Fraction Subtraction: 5/10 minus 1/4 Step-by-Step

To solve the problem $\frac{5}{10} - \frac{1}{4}$, we need to subtract two fractions. We will accomplish this by finding a common denominator.

Let's begin by finding the least common multiple (LCM) of the denominators 10 and 4:

• List the multiples of 10: 10, 20, 30, 40, ...
• List the multiples of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, ...
• The smallest common multiple is 20, so 20 is the least common denominator.

Now, convert both fractions to have the common denominator of 20:

• For $\frac{5}{10}$, multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 2 to get an equivalent fraction: $\frac{5 \times 2}{10 \times 2} = \frac{10}{20}$.
• For $\frac{1}{4}$, multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 5 to get an equivalent fraction: $\frac{1 \times 5}{4 \times 5} = \frac{5}{20}$.

We can now subtract the fractions:

• Subtract the numerators: $\frac{10}{20} - \frac{5}{20} = \frac{10 - 5}{20} = \frac{5}{20}$.

Simplify $\frac{5}{20}$ by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 5:

• So, $\frac{5}{20} = \frac{5 \div 5}{20 \div 5} = \frac{1}{4}$.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is $\frac{1}{4}$.

The correct answer choice is 4, which represents the simplified solution.