Solve the Fraction Subtraction: 2/4 - 2/6 Step-by-Step

Question

Solve the following exercise:

2426=? \frac{2}{4}-\frac{2}{6}=\text{?}

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Solve
00:03 We want to find the least common denominator
00:06 Multiply by 3 and 2 respectively to find the common denominator
00:09 Make sure to multiply both numerator and denominator
00:20 Calculate the products
00:27 Subtract with the common denominator
00:34 Calculate the numerator
00:39 Reduce the fraction as much as possible
00:42 Make sure to divide both numerator and denominator
00:45 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this subtraction problem, let's follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify and find the least common denominator (LCD) of the denominators 4 and 6.
  • Step 2: Convert each fraction to have the common denominator.
  • Step 3: Subtract the numerators of the converted fractions.
  • Step 4: Simplify the result, if possible.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: The denominators are 4 and 6. The LCD of 4 and 6 is 12, since 12 is the smallest number divisible by both 4 and 6.

Step 2: Convert each fraction to this common denominator.
- Convert 24 \frac{2}{4} to have a denominator of 12. We multiply both the numerator and denominator by 3:
24=2×34×3=612 \frac{2}{4} = \frac{2 \times 3}{4 \times 3} = \frac{6}{12} .
- Convert 26 \frac{2}{6} to have a denominator of 12. We multiply both the numerator and denominator by 2:
26=2×26×2=412 \frac{2}{6} = \frac{2 \times 2}{6 \times 2} = \frac{4}{12} .

Step 3: Subtract the fractions:
612412=6412=212 \frac{6}{12} - \frac{4}{12} = \frac{6 - 4}{12} = \frac{2}{12} .

Step 4: Simplify the result:
The fraction 212 \frac{2}{12} simplifies to 16 \frac{1}{6} by dividing both numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 2.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 16 \frac{1}{6} .

Answer

16 \frac{1}{6}