Understanding the Fraction: Right = ¼ – ½ × (½: A Clear Mathematical Breakdown

When encountering mathematical expressions like right = ½ – ½ × (½, it can often feel overwhelming—especially when opaque formatting like i = (/i) = rac{1}{2} – rac{1}{2} × (½ appears in educational materials or online tools. Whether you're a student, teacher, or math enthusiast, this article breaks down the expression step by step to clarify what it means and how to properly interpret such equations.


Understanding the Context

What Does the Equation Mean?

The expression:
right = ½ – ½ × (½
is fundamentally an algebraic computation, not literally stating “right = something involving half” in a philosophical sense—but when correctly analyzed, it reveals key principles in fraction arithmetic, order of operations, and simplification.

Let’s begin by interpreting the right-hand side step by step.


Key Insights

Step 1: Understand the Components

We start with:
½ – ½ × (½

This involves two operations: multiplication and subtraction. According to the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS):

  • Parentheses first
  • Then multiplication
  • Finally subtraction

Step 2: Evaluate Parentheses

Final Thoughts

The innermost expression is ½, a simple fraction representing 0.5.
So:
½ × (½) = ½ × ½ = ¼

Now replace in the original expression:
right = ½ – ¼


Step 3: Perform the Subtraction

Now compute:
½ – ¼ = ¼

So, the entire right-hand side simplifies to ¼, or 1/4.


Final Interpretation

Thus, the full expression:
right = ½ – ½ × (½) = ¼
means that half minus half of a quarter equals one fourth.

In fractional form, this confirms:
½ – ½ × ½ = ¼ – ¼ = ¼