What is seven and one half minus four and one eighth?

Answer 1

Three and three eighths... duh! I'm 11 and I know that!!!

Now that the 11 year-old is done showing off, let me explain it for you:

7 1/2 = 7 4/8 = 60/8

4 1/8 = 33/8

60 - 33 = 27

27/8 = 3 3/8

(Good Job 11 Year old)

Here's an explanation of it. The way you phrase it, you have mixed fractions. It would be easier to work with improper fractions and a common denominator. As an improper fraction, your question becomes 15/2 - 33/8. To get a common denominator, you need to find the lowest common multiple (LCM) between the denominators. The LCM of 2 and 8 is 8. 15/2 needs to be converted to a fraction over 8. Both top and bottom are multiplied by 4 to keep the same ratio, but get the desired denominator. Your question becomes 60/8 - 33/8. When subtracting fractions, you subtract the numerators, but your denominators stay the same. Your answer is27/8 (aka twenty-seven over eight) or three and three eighths.