Q. Perform the operation and express your answer as a single fraction in simplest form.2x31−31Answer:
Identify LCD: Identify the least common denominator (LCD) for the two fractions.The LCD for the fractions (2x31) and (31) is 6x3 because 6x3 is the smallest number that both denominators (2x3 and 3) will divide into evenly.
Rewrite fractions: Rewrite each fraction with the LCD as the new denominator.For the first fraction, (1)/(2x3), we multiply the numerator and denominator by 3 to get (3)/(6x3).For the second fraction, (1)/(3), we multiply the numerator and denominator by 2x3 to get (2x3)/(6x3).
Perform subtraction: Perform the subtraction of the two fractions.Now that both fractions have the same denominator, we can subtract their numerators:(6x33)−(6x32x3)=6x33−2x3
Simplify fraction: Simplify the resulting fraction if possible.The fraction (3−2x3)/(6x3) is already in its simplest form because the numerator and the denominator do not have any common factors other than 1.