Okay. So, what you do is subtract the negative number from the positive number. Let’s find the lowest common multiple of each number. The lowest common multiple (LCD) is 6. So we set this problem up as 2 3/6 - 1 1/6. When we subtract both numbers, you get 1 2/6. or 1 1/3 in simplest form. Now, you subtract again. Because 1 3/4 is greater than the number we are subtracting from, which is 1 1/3, the answer will be negative. The LCM of 3 and 4 is 12, so 12 will be the LCD. Let’s subtract to get our negative difference. 1 9/12 - 1 4/12 is 5/12. Plug in the negative symbol and you have -5/12. There. The answer is -5/12.
