1/5 plus what equals 1/8?

Here we will show you how to calculate "what" in this sentence: "1/5 plus what equals 1/8?" We start by making this word problem into an algebraic equation where "what" is the variable "x".

1/5 + x = 1/8

To solve this equation, we want x alone on the left side of the equation so we start by subtracting 1/5 on both sides like this:

1/5 - 1/5 + x = 1/8 - 1/5

1/5 - 1/5 + x leaves x and 1/8 - 1/5 is -3/40 which means we end up with x = -3/40. Therefore, the answer to "1/5 plus what equals 1/8?" is as follows:

-3/40

It is always good to double-check your math to make sure you did it right. When we entered -3/40 for x in this equation 1/5 + x = 1/8, we get the following true equation which means our math is correct.

1/5 + -3/40 = 1/8

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