Division

So what comes after Multiplication... You got it, Division! On Thursday in class we began talking about Division....

Quotient: the result of division (the answer)

Dividend: the number divided

Divisor: does the dividing


Division of Whole Numbers:
-For any whole numbers r and s, with s cannot = 0, the quotient of r divided by s, written r/s, is the whole number k, if it exists, such that r = s x k.


-Sharing (Partitive) Concept

Suppose you have 9 basketballs, which you want to divide equally among 3 people. How many basketballs would each person receive?

Solution: The answer can be determined by separating the basketballs into 3 equivalent sets. The following figure shows 9 balls divided into 3 groups and illustrates 9/3. The divisor 3 indicates the number of people.

Person 1

Person 2

Person 3

 © CKSinfo.com

This method is easy for kids to understand, because you can actually see the total number of basketballs being divided evenly.

-Measurement (Subtractive) Concept
Suppose you have 10 basketballs and want to give 3 tennis balls to as many people as possible. How many people would receive tennis balls?

Solution: The answer can be determined by subtracting, or measuring off, as many sets of 2 as possible. The following group of 10 basketballs shows the result of this measuring process and illustrates 10/2. The divisor 2 is the number of balls in each group, and the quotient 5 is the number of groups.









 © CKSinfo.com

This method of measurement (subtractive) concept is a different way to look at dividing. It allows the student to use something they are more comfortable with. Another perspective helps them understand division in a different way.