Lesson 6 of 12
➗ Introduction to Division
What You'll Learn
- What division means (equal sharing)
- How division and multiplication are related
- How to use known facts to divide
Division Is Equal Sharing
Division means splitting a number into equal groups. If you have 12 cookies and want to share them equally among 3 friends, each friend gets 12 ÷ 3 = 4 cookies.
The parts of a division problem:
- Dividend — the number being divided (12)
- Divisor — how many groups (3)
- Quotient — the answer, how many in each group (4)
Use Multiplication to Divide
Division and multiplication are inverse operations — they undo each other. To find 28 ÷ 4, ask yourself: “4 times what equals 28?” You know 4 × 7 = 28, so 28 ÷ 4 = 7!
Two Ways to Think About Division
- Equal groups: 20 ÷ 4 → put 20 things into 4 equal groups → 5 in each group
- Repeated subtraction: How many times can you subtract 4 from 20? 20→16→12→8→4→0 = 5 times. So 20 ÷ 4 = 5.
Use the interactive tool below. Count the dots in each group to find the quotient!
Quick Check
1. 18 ÷ 3 = ?
2. Which multiplication fact helps you solve 35 ÷ 5?
3. What is the quotient in 24 ÷ 6 = 4?