Question

Madelyn bought 12 5/8 yards of fabric. She used 6 7/8 yards of the fabric for a costume. How much fabric did Madelyn have left?

Answer 1

`5(3)/(4)`

Explanation:

We know that Madelyn bought 12 5/8 of fabric, we then are told she used 6 7/8 of them for a costume followed by asking how much fabric she has left.

Madelyn has 12 5/8 in total

She took away 6 7/8.

To make this easier for us, we can make both fractions improper, which can be done by multiplying the whole number by the denominator and adding the numerator.

`12(5)/(8) -6(7)/(8)`

Multiply the whole number by the denominator :

`(5)/(96) - (7)/(48)`

Add the numerator and change the denominator back to 8 :

`(101)/(8) - (55)/(8)`

Subtract the numerators :

`(101 - 55)/(8) = (46)/(8)`

Simplify the fraction to the lowest possible :

`(46/2)/(8/2) = (23)/(4)`

Put the improper fraction back into a mixed fraction :

`5(3)/(4)`