Subtracting Whole Numbers and Fractions Example

Let's look at the same numbers (7 and ), but this time we'll subtract. 7 is still the only number in the ones place, and is still the only fraction in the fraction place. But now, you have to ask yourself, can you take away from nothing? When adding, you could add to nothing, and it was still . But, you can't subtract from nothing. This is why we need to change 7 to an improper fraction.

Example:

Change the 7 to and then make an equivalent fraction with 40 as the denominator:

Now, you can subtract from :

Give this a try. Solve each problem in the chart and then click to see the answer.

Problem	Answer
6 -	5
1 -
7 -	6
3 -	2
5 -	4