What Is 5/8 − 3/8?

5/8 − 3/8 = 1/4, which is 0.25 as a decimal.

Result

Answer

\frac{5}{8} - \frac{3}{8} = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{1}{4}}

The difference is 1/4 in simplest form.

  • Decimal: \displaystyle 0.25
  • Percent: 25%

1 of 4 equal parts

Step-by-step solution

The problem

\frac{5}{8} - \frac{3}{8}

  1. Subtract the numerators. Keep the denominator 8.

    = \frac{5 - 3}{8} = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{2}{8}}

  2. Simplify. List the factors of each:
    Factors of 2: 1, 2
    Factors of 8: 1, 2, 4, 8
    The greatest common factor (GCF) is 2. Divide the top and bottom by 2.

    = \frac{2 \div 2}{8 \div 2} = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{1}{4}}

All the working together

\begin{aligned} &\frac{5}{8} - \frac{3}{8} \\[8pt] &= \frac{5 - 3}{8} && \textcolor{#5b6660}{\textsf{subtract}} \\[8pt] &= \frac{2}{8} \\[8pt] &= \frac{2 \div 2}{8 \div 2} && \textcolor{#5b6660}{\textsf{simplify}} \\[8pt] &= \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{1}{4}}\end{aligned}

The answer in other forms

Simplest form1/4
Decimal0.25
Percent25%
Same fractions3/8 + 5/8, 3/8 × 5/8, 5/8 ÷ 3/8

5/8 minus other fractions

SumAnswer
5/8 − 1/21/8
5/8 − 1/37/24
5/8 − 1/43/8
5/8 − 1/517/40
5/8 − 2/59/40
5/8 − 3/51/40
5/8 − 1/611/24
5/8 − 1/81/2
5/8 − 3/81/4

Frequently asked questions

What is 5/8 − 3/8?

5/8 − 3/8 = 1/4 (0.25 as a decimal).

How do you subtract 5/8 and 3/8?

Write both over a common denominator, subtract the numerators and simplify. The working above shows each step.

Other fractions, mixed numbers or up to five terms: use the Fraction Calculator.