2/7 minus what equals 3/8?

Here we will show you how to calculate "what" in this sentence: "2/7 minus what equals 3/8?" We start by making this word problem into an algebraic equation where "what" is the variable "x".

2/7 - x = 3/8

To solve this equation, we want x alone on the left side of the equation so we start by subtracting 2/7 on both sides like this:

2/7 - 2/7 - x = 3/8 - 2/7

2/7 - 2/7 - x leaves -x and 3/8 - 2/7 is 5/56 which means we end up with -x = 5/56. Then, you multiply each side by -1 to get x = -5/56. Therefore, the answer to "2/7 minus what equals 3/8?" is as follows:

-5/56

It is always good to double-check your math to make sure you did it right. When we entered -5/56 for x in this equation 2/7 - x = 3/8, we get the following true equation which means our math is correct.

2/7 - -5/56 = 3/8

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