to Main Page

 

DIVISION Page 2

Scroll down

Adjust screen for your device

 

Under current development:

August 2026

 

DIVISION means cutting one big group into several smaller groups.

You do this when you DIVIDE a number with another number.

 

One Page 1, we divided 12 dolls into 4 groups (baskets).

Each basket got 3 dolls.

12 total dolls divded by 3 dolls equals 4 baskets.

12 / 3 = 4

Each basket gets the same number of dolls

 

 

Next, Lilly has 12 cookies, and she wants to give the cookies to 3 friends.

She wants to give each friend the same number of cookies.

12 cookies divided by 3 friends

12 / 3 = 4

Each friend gets 4 cookies.

 

 

In our first problem Mary divided 12 dolls into 4 groups (baskets).

Each basket received 3 dolls.

 

In this problem we divide 12 cookies into 3 groups (friends).

Each friend receives 4 cookies.

 

 Lily:        4+4+4 = 12

Mary:  3+3+3+3 = 12

   

Both stories ended with each group having an equal number of items.

 

Your teacher may also call this a

"Fair Share"or Equal Grouping,

because each group is the same size or number.

Everyone gets the same amount of items.

 

In division, groups don't always come out with an even number in each group.

When the answer does not come out even, it is a Non-Equal Grouping.

Everyone may not get the same amount of items.

 

Non-Equal Grouping example

You have 15 cookies and you want to share them.

Using division you decide how many people will get cookies and how many cookies for each person.

One group of cookies may not be the same size as the other groups.

For instance you have 15 cookies to be divided by four people.

That is 3 friends + you. ( 3+1= 4 people )

Division: 15 / 4 = 3.75

3 people could get 4 cookies but you would only get 3 cookies.

4 + 4 + 4 = 12 cookies + 3 = 15 cookies

This is Non Equal Grouping

To make this an Equal Share (Fair Share),

you and your 3 friends ( 4 people ) would each get 3 full cookies and share pieces of the remaining cookies.

Each of you could get 3.75 cookies. Not quite 4 cookies each.

In another section of Recess Express, we worked with FRACTIONS.

Fractions are pieces of an item.

.75 above is three-fourths of an item.

 

In division, when the final answer is not a whole number, like 3.75, the extra number is called a Remainder.

To help understand " remainder", below we go step by step to find how many chocolate chip cookies we get to eat.

 

Here is how to solve it step-by-step:

To share the cookies, you place cookies one by one to each of the plates for you and your three friends for a total of 4 plates: 3 friends + you = 4.

 

Step One. Give each of the four plates 1 cookie.

Total given out 4 cookies

 

Step Two. Give each of the four plates 1 more cookie.

Total given out 8 cookies

 

Step Three. Give each of the four plates 1 more cookie.

Total given out 12 cookies

 

STOP giving out cookies because you have four plates but only three cookies leftover.

4 X 3 = 12 cookies given out.

15 - 12 = 3 cookies left for 4 people.

 

In math when dividing a number that does not come out even, the extra number is called a Remainder and is written with the letter R in the answer.

 15/4 = 3  R 3

This means each person gets 3 cookies but 3 other cookies will be leftover because you cannot give 3 whole cookies to 4 people.

 

 In division, a remainder is the "leftover" amount that cannot be divided equally.

To say this answer out loud, you would say "Three with a Remainder of three."

 

 

Let us look at

LONG DIVISION

Here we will see why some division ends equally and some does not end with equal numbers in each group.

 

51 divided by 3.

This is Fair Share, or

Equal Grouping.

Wait! There's more !

 

 

END for the moment