What is division?
Division means sharing equally or making equal groups. The sign is ÷. It is the opposite of multiplication.
Key idea
Share 12 sweets among 3 children: 12 ÷ 3 = 4 sweets each. Check with ×: 4 × 3 = 12.
Division and multiplication are friends
If 4 × 3 = 12, then 12 ÷ 3 = 4 and 12 ÷ 4 = 3. Knowing your times tables makes division easy. When you see 20 ÷ 5, just ask: what number times 5 gives 20? The answer is 4. You can also share out counters one by one into equal groups to check.
Worked example
20 sweets are shared among 4 children. How many each?
20 ÷ 4 = 5 sweets each. Check: 5 × 4 = 20. It is correct!
Remember
- ÷ means share equally.
- Any number ÷ 1 stays the same.
- Any number ÷ itself is 1.
- Check with multiplication.