Final answer:
To subtract 7.1 from 5.4, align the decimal points and subtract each place value starting from the right. Borrow if needed. The final answer is -1.7.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find 5.4 - 7.1, we need to subtract 7.1 from 5.4. Subtracting decimals is similar to subtracting whole numbers. We align the decimal points and subtract each place value starting from the right. In this case, we have to borrow 1 whole number from the tens place since 4 is smaller than 7. After borrowing, we subtract 7 from 14 in the tenths place and get 7. In the ones place, we subtract 1 from 0, but we have to carry over the borrow to make it -1. Therefore, the final answer is -1.7.