Add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers with appropriate common denominators.
Subtract fractions or mixed numbers with regrouping
Problem
Calculate \(3~1/4~-~1~5/8\) and give the result in simplest form.
Big Picture
What this problem is really about
The fractional parts must first use the same unit, so we’ll rename the fourths as eighths. Because the top fractional part is then too small to subtract five eighths, we’ll trade one whole for eight eighths, add those to the existing fraction, and subtract corresponding parts. Regrouping preserves the minuend while making the subtraction possible.
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