Subtract the fractions. Write your answer in simplest form.
$\frac{5}{8}-\frac{2}{4}$
We are given the expression \(\frac{5}{8} - \frac{2}{4}\). To subtract two fractions, they must have the same denominator. Currently, the denominators are 8 and 4. We identify that 8 is a multiple of 4, so 8 is the least common denominator.
To convert \(\frac{2}{4}\) to a fraction with a denominator of 8, we multiply both its numerator and denominator by 2. This process gives:
\[\frac{2}{4} = \frac{2 \times 2}{4 \times 2} = \frac{4}{8}.\]
Now that both fractions have the same denominator, we can perform the subtraction by subtracting the numerators while keeping the common denominator:
\[\frac{5}{8} - \frac{4}{8} = \frac{5 - 4}{8} = \frac{1}{8}.\]
The result is \(\frac{1}{8}\). We check if it is in simplest form by verifying if the greatest common divisor of the numerator (1) and the denominator (8) is 1. Since it is, the fraction is already in its simplest form. Thus, the final result is \(\boxed{\frac{1}{8}}\).
Imagine you have a full pizza cut into 8 equal slices. You eat 5 slices (which is \(\frac{5}{8}\) of the pizza). Your friend eats 2 slices out of a smaller pizza that was cut into 4 equal pieces (which is \(\frac{2}{4}\) or \(\frac{1}{2}\) of that pizza). If you want to know how much more of the pizza you ate than your friend, you subtract the two fractions \(\frac{5}{8} - \frac{2}{4} = \frac{5}{8} - \frac{4}{8} = \frac{1}{8}\). This shows you ate \(\frac{1}{8}\) more of a standard whole than your friend did.