If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

Main content

Subtracting mixed numbers with like denominators

Think of a mixed numbers as a number AND a fraction. You can subtract numbers....you can subtract fractions with like denominators. Therefore, you can subtract mixed numbers! Watch. Created by Sal Khan.

Want to join the conversation?

  • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user ccherwin2017
    What if you have a problem like 5 1/8 - 3 3/8?
    (8 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • leaf red style avatar for user Josilyn Sashioshi
    Okay so, the add/sub is easy. But how do you properly simplify fractions? On the test every one of my wrong answers is because I don't do proper simplifying. I always fix my mistake the 2nd try but how do I make sure I know the proper way to simplify? Sorry for making this so confusing.
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • primosaur seed style avatar for user Ian Pulizzotto
      If there’s a whole number greater than 1 that divides both the numerator and denominator evenly, your answer is not simplified. Continue to divide both numerator and denominator by the same whole number (greater than 1), until there’s no whole number greater than 1 that divides them both evenly. After this, your answer would be simplified.
      (5 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Shelly CM
    how do I add -1/6-5+2/5-1/15?
    (2 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • leafers ultimate style avatar for user John Kalafus
      The best way is to give all of the numbers a common denominator. On the three fractions you can see that the denominators are 6,5 and 15. All of these go into 30 so your first step would be to take the first fraction which is -1/6 and multiply that by 5/5 which would make it -5/30.
      For the 2/5 fraction you would multiply by 6/6 and that would make it 12/30. and for the last fraction you would multiply it by 2/2 to make it 2/30.
      This is allowed because any number over itself is just 1 and so you aren't changing the value of the fraction just the way it is represented. 1/15 is they same as 2/30. If you took a calculator and divided the numbers you would come up with the same result.
      Lastly you need to represent the 5 as it's fractional equivalent with 30 in the denominator. To do that you just multiply 5 by 30/30 and get 150/30.

      Now you have the numbers with common denominators of -5/30 - 150/30 +12/30 -2/30 . You combine the numerators while keeping the denominator at 30 and get -145/30. This can be further simplified to -29/6.
      (6 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Omar Carmona
    So is the whole number component representing six 16/16's / six 4/4's (when reduced) ?
    (4 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • marcimus purple style avatar for user destinyh
    I think you add the whole but just making sure do you add the whole
    (4 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • duskpin tree style avatar for user mtheberge24
    can someone identify how to fraction time
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • blobby green style avatar for user evelyn
    Well i think it's getting a little Easier for me.
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • blobby green style avatar for user arichard9430
    How would you subtract a mixed number and a normal fraction?
    Example= 11 12/16- 4/12
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • male robot donald style avatar for user Paolo Retana
    what is 12 5/5-3 1/2
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • female robot grace style avatar for user loumast17
      I think there are 2 ways that are good to know.

      Here is the first way.

      Step 1, subtract the whole numbers.
      12-3 = 9
      Stp 2, subtract the fractions
      5/5 - 1/2 = 5/10 = 1/2
      Step 3 add the whole number and fraction together
      9 1/2
      Keep in mind, if the fraction is negative it lowers the whole number

      The other way is to convert both into improper fractions, subtract those, then turn the new difference into a mixed number
      12 5/5 - 3 1/2
      65/5 - 7/2
      130/10 - 35/10
      95/10
      9 1/2

      The same works for addition as well, except you replace all subtractions with additions. Also, in this problem 12 5/5 = 13 since 5/5 is 1. So this could have been 13 - 3 1/2
      (1 vote)
  • mr pants green style avatar for user john underwood
    explain in another problem
    (2 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user

Video transcript

Let's figure out what 11 and 12/16 minus 5 and 8/16 is. And then we might have to simplify it down to lowest terms. So the way I like to do these is to kind of separate out the whole number part of the mixed numbers from the fractional part. So I can rewrite this number right over here as 11 plus 12/16. And from that, I am going to subtract-- and I'll put parentheses here because I'm going to break this part open. I'm going to subtract 5 plus 8/16. 5 and 8/16-- same thing as 5 plus 8/16. But I have to remember, I'm subtracting it. I'm subtracting this whole thing. So I could rewrite it as-- I'll rewrite this part-- 11 plus 12/16. And I'm subtracting 5 plus 8/16. So I can distribute the negative sign. So it's going to be minus 5, negative 1 times 5. And then negative 1 times positive 8/16. So it's going to be minus 8/16. And then I like to do the whole number parts separately and then the fractional parts separately. So let's do the whole number parts. We have 11 minus 5. I'll write it here, 11 minus 5. We'll do that part. That's the whole number part. And then we have plus 12/16. Let me do this in pink maybe, plus 12/16, minus 8/16. And 11 minus 5 is 6. And I have 6 plus. And then our denominators are the same here, so we're going to get something over 16. And 12 minus 8 is 4. So this is the same thing as 6 plus 4 over 16, which is the same thing as-- writing it as a mixed number-- 6 and 4/16. And this is the right quantity, but we can simplify it. 4/16 can be simplified. Both the numerator and the denominator are divisible by 4. They both have the factor 4. So let's divide both the numerator and denominator by 4. Divided by 4. Divided by 4. Since we're dividing by the same thing, we're not changing its quantity. And so this is equal to-- we still have the whole number part, 6, but the fraction part is now 1, 1/4. So we get 6 and 1/4.