We are given the following sentence.
- 5/8 3/8
Before we try to compare the given values remember that, when a fraction is negative, the negative sign can be written in one of three places and it does not change the value of the fraction.
-a/b = - a/b = a/- b
With this in mind, let's move the placement of the negative sign in the first fraction to make our comparison more straightforward.
-5/8 = - 5/8
When fractions have a common denominator, we only need to compare the numerators. Because -5 is less than 3, we know that - 58 is less than 38.
-5 < 3 ⇒ - 5/8 < 3/8
Checking Our Answer
We can check our answer by finding the product of the given quantities in a calculator. Let's check our math!
We obtain the same result as before. Therefore, we were correct!
Extra
Fractions
For those of you who are interested in learning more about working with fractions, you can read more about them on the following pages.
