Final answer:
The difference between 4 3/8 and -1 1/4 is 5 5/8. This is found by converting both mixed numbers to improper fractions, finding a common denominator, and performing the subtraction. The correct option is a.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between the mixed numbers 4 3/8 and -1 1/4 is found by converting both numbers to improper fractions and then subtracting. For 4 3/8, we multiply 4 (the whole number) by 8 (the denominator) and add 3 (the numerator) to get 35/8. For -1 1/4, we multiply 1 by 4 and add 1 to get -5/4. Now we have:
35/8 - (-5/4)
To subtract these, we need a common denominator, which is 8 in this case. The -5/4 needs to be converted to -10/8. Now the subtraction looks like this:
35/8 - (-10/8) = 35/8 + 10/8 = 45/8
45/8 can be simplified to 5 5/8 as a mixed number because 45 divided by 8 is 5 with a remainder of 5, which is the numerator of the fraction part. The correct option is a.