Final answer:
To calculate 5 5/6 - 3 1/3, we convert to improper fractions, find a common denominator, subtract, and simplify the result. The final simplified answer is 2 1/2.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the difference in simplest form between 5 5/6 and 3 1/3, we first convert these mixed numbers into improper fractions. The mixed number 5 5/6 can be expressed as 35/6 (since 5 × 6 + 5 = 35) and the mixed number 3 1/3 as 10/3 (since 3 × 3 + 1 = 10).
Next, we find a common denominator for these two fractions. The lowest common multiple of 6 and 3 is 6, meaning we can convert 10/3 into 20/6 by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by 2. Now we have two fractions with the same denominator, 35/6 and 20/6.
Now we subtract the second fraction from the first to find the difference: 35/6 - 20/6 equals 15/6. This can be simplified by dividing both numerator and denominator by 3, which gives us 5/2. In mixed number form, this is 2 1/2.
Therefore, 5 5/6 - 3 1/3 equals 2 1/2 in simplest form.