What is 5/7 minus 1/2 equal to in like units

3/14

Step-by-step explanation:

5/7 minus 1/2 is 5/7 - 1/2

5/7 and 1/2 are both called proper fractions. 5 and 1 in each fraction are called the numerator while 7 and 2 are called denominators

5/7 - 1/2

Step one

Find the lowest common multiple (LCM) of the denominators of each fractions

Multiples of 7

7 x 1 = 7

7 x 2 = 14

7 x 3 = 21

Multiples of 2

2 x 1 = 2

2 x 2 = 4

2 x 3 = 6

2 x 4 = 8

2 x 5 = 10

2 x 6 = 12

2 x 7 = 14

The lowest common multiple of 2 and 7 is 14

Step 2

The LCM of 2 and 7 becomes the common denominator for both fractions.

14/7 = 2

14/2 = 7

5/7 - 1/2 = [2 (5) - 7 (1) ]/14 = (10 - 7) / 14

= 3/14