What is 3/8 minus 1/2?

Looking for the result of 3/8 - 1/2? Follow this step-by-step guide to understand how to subtract these two fractions.

How to subtract 3/8 by 1/2?

3 8 − 1 2 = (3 × 2) − (1 × 8) 8 × 2 = -2 16 = -1 8
  1. Multiply the numerator of the first term, with the denominator of the second term: 3 × 2 = 6
  2. Multiply the numerator of the second term, with the denominator of the first term: 1 × 8 = 8
  3. Subtract both of these results together to form the new numerator: 6 − 8 = -2
  4. Multiply both denominators together to form the new denominator: 8 × 2 = 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 3/8 and 1/2 is : -1/8 (or -0.125 in its decimal form)