3/8 plus what equals 1/5?

Here we will show you how to calculate "what" in this sentence: "3/8 plus what equals 1/5?" We start by making this word problem into an algebraic equation where "what" is the variable "x".

3/8 + x = 1/5

To solve this equation, we want x alone on the left side of the equation so we start by subtracting 3/8 on both sides like this:

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

3/8 - 3/8 + x leaves x and 1/5 - 3/8 is -7/40 which means we end up with x = -7/40. Therefore, the answer to "3/8 plus what equals 1/5?" is as follows:

-7/40

It is always good to double-check your math to make sure you did it right. When we entered -7/40 for x in this equation 3/8 + x = 1/5, we get the following true equation which means our math is correct.

3/8 + -7/40 = 1/5

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