To subtract these fractions, first find the lowest common multiple of their denominators. The first few multiples of 4 are [4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40] and the first few multiples of 12 are [12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96]. The first few multiples they share are [12, 24, 36, 48, 60] making 12 the smallest multiple 4 and 12 share.

Next, convert the fractions so each denominator equals the lowest common multiple:

\( \frac{2 x 3}{4 x 3} \) - \( \frac{5 x 1}{12 x 1} \)

\( \frac{6}{12} \) - \( \frac{5}{12} \)

Now, because the fractions share a common denominator, you can subtract them:

\( \frac{6 - 5}{12} \) = \( \frac{1}{12} \) = \(\frac{1}{12}\)

Average speed in miles per hour is the number of miles traveled divided by the number of hours:

Solving for distance:

distance = \( \text{speed} \times \text{time} \)
distance = \( 40mph \times 6h \)
240 miles

The first few multiples of 6 are [6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60] and the first few multiples of 10 are [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90]. The first few multiples they share are [30, 60, 90] making 30 the smallest multiple 6 and 10 have in common.

The commutative property states that, when adding or multiplying numbers, the order in which they're added or multiplied does not matter. For example, 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 give the same result, as do 3 x 4 and 4 x 3.

A number with an exponent (b^e) consists of a base (b) raised to a power (e). The exponent indicates the number of times that the base is multiplied by itself. A base with an exponent of 1 equals the base (b¹ = b) and a base with an exponent of 0 equals 1 ( (b⁰ = 1).