Ramona had 8 3/8 in. of ribbon. she used 2 1/2 in. for an art project. how many inches of ribbon does she have left?

The answer is 5 7/8. Need an explanation?

The remainder:

8  3/8 -  2  1/2

8  3/8 =  (8*8 + 3)/8 =(64 + 3)/8 = 67 / 8

2 1/2 = (2*2 + 1)/2 = (4 + 1)/2 = 5/2

8  3/8 -  2  1/2  = 67/8 - 5/2

67/8 - 5/2 = 67/8 - (5/2)*(4/4) = 67/8 - (5*4)/(2*4) = 67/8 - 20/8

= 67/8 - 20/8

= (67 - 20)/8

= 47/8

=  5    7/8

Remainder = 5   7/8 inches.

Hope this helped.