What is 1/2 minus 5/8?

Looking for the result of 1/2 - 5/8? Follow this step-by-step guide to understand how to subtract these two fractions.

How to subtract 1/2 by 5/8?

1 2 − 5 8 = (1 × 8) − (5 × 2) 2 × 8 = -2 16 = -1 8
  1. Multiply the numerator of the first term, with the denominator of the second term: 1 × 8 = 8
  2. Multiply the numerator of the second term, with the denominator of the first term: 5 × 2 = 10
  3. Subtract both of these results together to form the new numerator: 8 − 10 = -2
  4. Multiply both denominators together to form the new denominator: 2 × 8 = 16
  5. Combine the results to get the new fraction: -2/16
  6. Simplify the fraction (-2/16) by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their GCD (2):
    • -2/2 = -1
    • 16/2 = 8
  7. This gives: -1/8.

The result of subtracting 1/2 and 5/8 is : -1/8 (or -0.125 in its decimal form)