Expert: Lynn Houston - 3/17/2009

Question
Use the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to write a subtracion problem with two mixed numbers that have a difference of 4 13/20.

Answer
The only way I could figure to do this was to fill in numbers and see if  they worked out.

The problem needs to take this form

a b/c - d e/f = 4 13/20, therefore, in order for the difference of the whole numbers to be 4, a must be 6 and d is either 1 or 2.  Let's assume it's 1, therefore, b,c,d and e are equal to 2, 3, 4 and 5.
c and f must be multiples of 20 in order to end up with 13/20.  Then I just played with the order till I hit one that worked.

6 2/5 - 1 3/4 = 4 13/20
32/5 - 7/4 = 93/20
128/20 - 35/20 = 93/20
93/20 = 93/20