A bolt of cloth had 15 yards on it. A clerk then cut \(7\frac {1}{3}\) yards from it for a customer in the morning and \(2\frac {1}{3}\) yards for another in the afternoon. How many yards of cloth were left on the bolt?

Explanation

Add the lengths of the two pieces the clerk cut to find the total amount cut from the bolt.

\(7\frac {1}{3} + 2\frac {1}{3} = 9\frac {2}{3}\)
Subtract \(9\frac {2}{3}\) (total amount cut off) from 15 (amount originally on the bolt) to find how many yards were left.

\(15 - 9\frac {2}{3}= 14\frac {3}{3} - 9\frac {2}{3}= 5\frac {1}{3}\)

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