Question

Subtract and express the differences in simplest form:

$\frac{12}{15}-\frac{7}{15}=\_\_\_$

Answer 1

• Step 1: As these are the like fractions, subtract the numerators and write the difference over the common denominator.

$\frac{12}{15}-\frac{7}{15}=\frac{12-7}{15}=\frac{5}{15}$

• Step 2: It can be observed that $5$ is the common factor of $5$ and $15$. Divide the numerator and denominator by the common factor $5$.

$\frac{5÷5}{15÷5}=\frac{1}{3}$

• Hence, the simplest form of $\frac{5}{15}$ is $\frac{1}{3}$.