Fractions
Subtract fractions with common denominators
Rename unlike fractions using a common unit before calculating and simplifying their difference.
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Subtract three fractions
Subtract two successive fractional amounts from a starting fraction while tracking a common denominator.
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Rename all three fractions with a common denominator. Subtract the second and then the third numerator from the first. Follow the page instruction about simplifying the final value.
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What this activity builds
Evaluate a three-term subtraction in the printed order without changing its grouping.
Worked example
Find 11/12 - 1/3 - 1/4.
11/12 - 4/12 - 3/12 = 4/12 = 1/3.
The two removed amounts total seven twelfths, leaving four twelfths. The expression means (11/12 - 1/3) - 1/4, not 11/12 - (1/3 - 1/4).
Teaching notes
Make the practice count
- Label the starting amount and each amount removed.
- Check the final answer by adding both removed fractions back to it.
- For longer practice sets, preserve enough written work to identify an ordering error separately from a fraction-conversion error.
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