write a real-world problem in which you would subtract fractions with unlike denominators. the solve your problem.
1/2 - 2/4 = 0
Real-world Problem:
John and Sarah are roommates who share expenses for groceries and utilities. John spent 3/4 of his monthly budget on groceries, while Sarah spent 2/5 of her budget on utilities. How much of their combined budget was left after subtracting these expenses?
Solution:
To solve this problem, we need to subtract the fractions 3/4 and 2/5. However, since the fractions have unlike denominators, we first need to find a common denominator.
To do this, we need to find the least common multiple (LCM) of the denominators, which are 4 and 5.
The multiples of 4 are: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, ...
The multiples of 5 are: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ...
From the lists above, we see that the LCM of 4 and 5 is 20.
Now we need to convert the fractions to have the same denominator of 20:
3/4 = (3/4) x (5/5) = 15/20
2/5 = (2/5) x (4/4) = 8/20
Now we can subtract the fractions:
15/20 - 8/20 = (15 - 8)/20 = 7/20
Therefore, after subtracting their expenses, John and Sarah have 7/20 of their combined budget left.