Question

Jeanie has a 3/4 piece of ribbon. She needs one 3/8 yard piece and a 1/2 yard piece. Can she cut the piece of ribbon into the two smaller pieces? Explain

Answer 1

Jeanie cannot cut the piece of ribbon into two smaller pieces. 

$\frac{3}{4} = \frac{6}{8}$ if you multiply the numerator and the denominator for $\frac{3}{4}$ by 2. 
She needs $\frac{1}{2}$ yard piece, which is $\frac{4}{8}$ if you multiply the numerator and the denominator for $\frac{1}{2}$.
Now that all the numbers have the same denominator, you can subtract the numerators which is: 6 - 4 - 3 = -1
This means that she cannot cut the ribbon into two smaller pieces.

~I hope this helped!!