1) find a common factor between the two denominators.
2 and 5 have a <u>common factor of 10</u>. you can find this by multiplying the denominators.
2) now that you have a common denominator of 10, you'll need to change the numerators too. you do this by finding out how many times the denominator goes into your common factor. 5 goes into 10 two times so you would multiply 2 x 2. two goes into 10 five times so multiply 5 x 1.
3) you now have both fractions that share a common factor. now you have to subtract them.
