Compute 7/8 minus 1/4.

Compute 7/8 minus 1/4.

• A. 3/8
• B. 5/8
• C. 7/8
• D. 1/8

Answer: (B)

Subtracting fractions with different denominators starts with making the denominators the same. Convert 1/4 to eighths by doubling the numerator and denominator: 1/4 = 2/8. Now subtract the numerators over the common denominator: 7/8 − 2/8 = 5/8. So the result is five-eighths. The other options would come from subtracting different amounts from 7/8, for example, 3/8 would mean subtracting 4/8 (which is 1/2), 7/8 would mean subtracting nothing, and 1/8 would mean subtracting 6/8 (3/4).

Subtracting fractions with different denominators starts with making the denominators the same. Convert 1/4 to eighths by doubling the numerator and denominator: 1/4 = 2/8. Now subtract the numerators over the common denominator: 7/8 − 2/8 = 5/8. So the result is five-eighths. The other options would come from subtracting different amounts from 7/8, for example, 3/8 would mean subtracting 4/8 (which is 1/2), 7/8 would mean subtracting nothing, and 1/8 would mean subtracting 6/8 (3/4).