Answer:
-2
Step-by-step explanation:
You need to understand two things about this subtraction. One thing is subtracting from a negative number. The other thing is doing an operation with mixed numerals.
Let's start with subtracting from a negative number.
To subtract, you add the opposite (also called the additive inverse). For example, 4 - 2 is the same as 4 + (-2). In other words, to subtract 2 from 4, you add the opposite of 2 to 4. Now you need to rules of addition of signed numbers.
Let's look at your problem.
-1 5/12 - 7/12
You are subtracting 7/12 from the negative mixed numeral -1 5/12.
Change the subtraction into an addition of the reciprocal. The opposite of 7/12 is -7/12, so to subtract 7/12, you add -7/12.
-1 5/12 - 7/12 =
= -1 5/12 + (-7/12)
Now you are adding two negative numbers.
To add two negative numbers, add their absolute values (meaning ignore the negative signs, just add the numbers), and then the answer is negative.
You need to add
1 5/12 + 7/12
Add the fractional parts: 5/12 + 7/12 = 12/12 = 1
1 5/12 + 7/12 = 1 + 12/12 = 1 + 1 = 2
Now that we added the absolute values, and we have a sum of 2, the final answer for the original problem is -2 since we were adding two negative numbers.
