Fractions for 7th graders

Question

Kailey needs 1 3/8 gallons of paint to paint her room. She only has 5/6 gallons of paint. How many more gallons of paint does she need?

Answer 1

This problem can be solved using subtraction. You would need to subtract 5/6 from 1 3/8 (using a common denominator).

First, convert 1 3/8 to an improper fraction " 1 3/8 = 11/8

Then complete: 11/8 - 5/6

The least common denominator for 8 and 6 is 24. 11/8 is equivalent to 33/24 and 5/6 is equivalent to 20/24.

Now subtract: 11/8 - 5/6 = 33/24 - 20/24 = 13/24 gallon more is needed