To subtract fractions, the denominators (the bottom numbers) must be the same. If they are not, you will need to find a common denominator before subtracting. Once you have the same denominator, you can subtract the numerators (the top numbers) and keep the denominator the same. For example:
(3/4) – (1/4) = (3 – 1) / 4 = 2/4 which can be simplified to 1/2.
To find a common denominator, you can either find the least common multiple (LCM) of the denominators, or you can use the product of the denominators as the common denominator. For example, if you want to subtract 1/3 from 1/2, the common denominator would be 6 (the LCM of 3 and 2), so you would need to convert 1/2 to 2/6 before subtracting.
To convert a fraction to an equivalent fraction with a different denominator, you can use the formula (numerator x (new denominator / old denominator))
Once you have equivalent fractions with the same denominator, you can subtract the numerators and write the result over the common denominator.
For example, to subtract 3/5 from 7/5, you can subtract 3 from 7 to get 4/5.
It’s also important to remember to simplify your answer as much as possible, by dividing both the numerator and denominator by any common factors they may have.
Example: 7/12 – 3/12 = (7-3)/12 = 4/12 which can be simplified to 1/3
In summary, to subtract fractions, you must have a common denominator, then subtract the numerators, and keep the denominator the same.