Subtracting a Larger Fraction from a Smaller Fraction
Date: 01/09/97 at 23:01:25 From: Kevin Byrd Subject: Subtracting a large fraction from a smaller fraction Dr. Math, My daughter asked me to help her work this problem: 19 4/10 - 6 7/10 = Do we borrow a whole number from 19 so 4/10 now becomes 14/10? Am I on the right track here? Is the final answer 12 7/10? It has been years... Thanks in advance. Frustrated, Kevin Byrd
Date: 01/11/97 at 19:19:32 From: Doctor Lim Subject: Re: Subtracting a large fraction from a smaller fraction Dear Kevin, Thank you for writing. It is great to hear from parents too. Don't worry - you are on the right track and you got the right answer. If your daughter does not understand this concept, try making the fraction numbers smaller. For example, 1 4/10 - 7/10 Then use concrete examples to show her that you cannot take 7/10 away from 4/10 - you have to change the 1 whole 4/10 to 14/10. Slowly bring up the numbers and let her explain to you. You will find that once they understand the concept, children like to play teacher and explain. The more they explain correctly, the more the concept gets "stuck" in their heads and they become more proficient at it. So keep up the good work ! -Doctor Lim, The Math Forum Check out our web site! http://mathforum.org/dr.math
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