1. Calculate the following.

3 2 5
11. a) 3 sevenths + 2 sevenths = 5 sevenths b) 7 + 7 =7

3 2 1 15 5 10 5
11. c) 7 − 7 = 7 d) 16 − 16 = 16 = 8

3 1 4 3 2 1 3 10 8 4 14
11. e) 5 + 5 + 5 = 15 f) 4 + 4 + 4 = 1½ g) 15 + 15 − 15 = 15

12. Choose the LCM of denominators to calculate the following.

2 1 5 5 1 2 1 5 21
12. a) 3 + 6 =6 b) 12 + 4 =3 c) 2 + 32 = 32

3 2 7 3 7 5 15 3 3
12. d) 5 − 15 = 15 e) 8 − 32 = 32 f) 16 − 4 = 16

13. Choose the LCM of denominators to calculate the following.

5 5 7 3 5 7 5 3 5
13. a) 6 + 9 = 1 18 b) 4 + 6 = 1 12 c) 6 + 8 = 1 24

11 7 1 7 5 11 8 5 17
13. d) 15 − 10 = 30 e) 8 − 12 = 24 f) 9 − 12 = 36

14. Calculate the following.

1 1 5 3 2 31 7 7 43
14. a) 2 + 3 =6 b) 8 + 5 = 40 c) 9 + 10 = = 1 90

2 1 3 3 2 1 7 5 23
14. d) 7−5 = 35 e) 4−3 = 12 f) 8−9 = 72

15. Add.
1 1 1 1 1 3 4 1 1 5 3 7
15. a) 2 + 3 + 4 = 1 12 b) 2 + 4 + 5 = 2 20 c) 2 + 6 − 4 = 12

16. Mental calculation.

1 1 3 1 1 5 1 2 7
16. a) 2 + 4 =4 b) 2 + 8 =8 c) 2 + 10 = 10

1 3 1 1 9 1 5 11
16. d) 2 + 4 = 1¼ e) 2 + 16 = 16 f) 2 + 12 = 12

17. Mental calculation.

1 1 1 7 1 3 5 3 1 5 3 1
17. a) 2 + 4 + 8 =8 b) 2 + 8 + 16 = 1 16 c) 4 + 8 + 16 = 1 16

18. What number must you add to each of the following to make 1?
18 Compare Example 8.
 1 1 1
a) 2 + 3 + 6 =1

2 1 13
b) 5 + 6 + 30 = 1

1 3 1
c) 8 + 4 + 8 =1

19. Three candidates were running for office. One of them got half the
10. vote. Another got two fifths of the vote. What fraction did the
1
third candidate get? 10 .

10. On the first day, Claude read half the book. On the second day, he
10. read three eighths more, and 40 pages remained. How many pages
10. were there in the book?
320. For,
1 3 4 3 7
+ = + =
2 8 8 8 8
1
so that 8 remained. 40 pages are one eighth of 8 × 40 = 320.

11. Add these mixed numbers.

1 2 3 2 3 5 2 3 1
18. a) 3 5 + 4 5 = 7 5 10. b) 8 9 + 7 9 = 15 9 10. c) 3 4 + 4 4 = 8 4

5 7 5 5 2 2 1
18. d) 6 8 + 2 8 = 9½ e) 4 6 + 3 6 = 8 3 f) 1 3 + 8 3 = 10

12. Add.
1 5 7 5 5 1 3 5
1
19. a) 3 4 + 2 8 = 5 8 b) 2 6 + 7 18 = 10 9 c) 7 4 + 1 16 = 9 16

4 1 3 3 5 7 2 5
1
11. d) 6 5 + 9 2 = 16 10 e) 4 4 + 1 6 = 6 12 f) 3 9 + 2 6 = 6 18

13. Subtract.
3 1 4 1
− = 3 b) − = 3 c)
10. a) 5
42 4 ½ 4 51 5 3 5
SUBTRACTING MIXED NUMBERS
Back to Section 1

4 1
Example 1. 85 − 15
Solution. In this example, we may simply subtract the
whole numbers and subtract the fractions -- similarly
to adding mixed numbers.
4 1 3
Example 1. 85 − 15 = 75.

But consider the following, in which the fractions are

reversed:
1 4
Example 1. 85 − 15.
4 1
How can we deal with that? We cannot take 5 from 5 .
To see how to deal with it, consider the following:

We cannot take 40 minutes from 10 minutes -- we

need more minutes. To get them, we will break off 1 of the
7 hours, and decompose it into 60 minutes. We
then regroup them with 10 minutes.
60 minutes + 10 minutes = 70 minutes:

2 hours from 6 hours is 4 hours. 40 minutes

from 70 minutes is 30 minutes.

Solution. We cannot take 11 inches from no inches. To

make inches, then, from 8 feet we will take 1 foot -- which
is 12 inches:
 5 feet from 7 feet is 2 feet. 11 inches from 12
inches is 1 inch.
We can now return to our problem:
1 4
85 − 15.
We need more fifths. Where will we get them? From
8. We will
break off 1 from 8, and decompose 5 . (Lesson 21, Example
it into 5 4.)

We will 5 with the 1 , making a total 6

then add those 5 original 5 of 5.
Then:
4 6 2
"1 from 7 is 6. 5 from 5 is 5."

Actually, the simplest way to do this problem is

mentally
4 1
by rounding off 1 to 2. That is, add to both numbers.
5 5
(Lesson 21.)
1 4
8 −1
5 5

The problem then becomes

2 2
8 −2=6 .
5 5

8 1
Break off 1 from 4. Express it as 8 , and add it to 8 :
Now the mystery, if any, is: How does that numerator
get to be 9?
9 is the sum of the original numerator 1 and
denominator 8:

Example 5. Write the missing numerator: 9 2 = 8 ?

 5 5
7
Answer. 8 5
7 is the sum of denominator plus numerator: 5 + 2.

2 5
Example 6. 97 − 37 = ?

2 9 . The improper numerator 9 is

9 becomes 8
7 7 the sum of the
denominator and 2
: 7 + 2 = 9.
numerator of 7

2 3 2
Example 7. 6 − 13 = 53 − 13

1
= 43.
2 3 1
"1 from 5 is 4. 3 from 3 is 3 ."

Again, the simplest way to do this is mentally

2 1
by rounding off 1 to 2. That is, add to both.
3 3
(Lesson 21.) The problem then
becomes
2 1 1
6−1 = 6 −2=4 .
3 3 3

2 1
Example 8. Prove: 6 − 1 3 = 4 3
Solution. According to the meaning of subtraction,
2 1 3
1 3 + 4 3 = 5 3 = 6.

Compare Lesson 7, Example 2.

1 3
Example 9. 6 2 − 2 4
Solution. First, we must make the denominators the same:
1 3 2 3
Example 10. 62 − 24 = 64 − 24
We cannot 3 2 ; therefore, on 4 -- 1 -- from 6,
from
take 4 4 taking 4 the
fraction becomes 4-fourths + 2 -fourths = 6-fourths:
1 3 6 3
Example 9. 6 − 2 = 5 4 − 2 4
2 4
3
= 34.
3 6 3
"2 from 5 is 3. 4 from 4 is 4 ."

Mentally:
1 3
6 −2 .
2 4

1 1
"3 from 6 is 3
2 2

1 3
Plus is 3 ."
4 4