To solve the problem 5 1/2 - 1 3/7, you need to find a common denominator for the fractions.
The common denominator for 2 and 7 is 14. Thus, we have:
5 1/2 = 10/2 + 1/2 = 11/2
1 3/7 = 7/7 + 3/7 = 10/7
Now we can subtract the fractions:
11/2 - 10/7
To find a common denominator for 2 and 7, we multiply the denominators: 2 * 7 = 14.
Now we can rewrite the fractions with the common denominator:
11/2 = (11 * 7)/(2 * 7) = 77/14
10/7 = (10 * 2)/(7 * 2) = 20/14
Subtracting the fractions:
77/14 - 20/14 = (77 - 20)/14 = 57/14
So, the difference is 57/14.