Fractions
Find the least common multiple
Find the smallest positive multiple shared by two numbers and use it to plan common-denominator work.
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Subtract fractions with common denominators
Rename unlike fractions using a common unit before calculating and simplifying their difference.
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Choose a common denominator, rename both fractions and subtract in the printed order. Simplify the difference and check it by addition.
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What this activity builds
Preserve the values and order of two fractions while converting them for subtraction.
Worked example
Find 7/10 - 1/4.
14/20 - 5/20 = 9/20.
Tenths and fourths can both be expressed as twentieths. Fourteen twentieths minus five twentieths leaves nine; adding 5/20 back to 9/20 recovers 14/20.
Teaching notes
Make the practice count
- Estimate the difference before renaming to catch implausible results.
- Keep the subtraction sign visible between the two equivalent fractions.
- Use a common denominator that keeps the arithmetic manageable rather than multiplying denominators automatically.
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