Definition:

Division is splitting into equal parts or groups.

It is the result of "fair sharing".


Example: there are 12 chocolates, and 3 friends want to share them, how do they divide the chocolates?

 
12 Chocolates   12 Chocolates Divided by 3

Answer: 12 divided by 3 is 4: they get 4 each.

Symbols

÷ /

We use the ÷ symbol, or sometimes the / symbol to mean divide:

12 ÷ 3 = 4
12 / 3 = 4

I will use both symbols here so you get used to it.

Opposite of Multiplying

Division is the opposite of multiplying. If you know a multiplication fact you can find a division fact:

Example: 3 × 5 = 15, so 15 / 5 = 3. (Also 15 / 3 = 5.)

Why? Well it is easy to understand if you think of the numbers in rows and columns like in this illustration:

Multiplication... ...Division
3 groups of 5 make 15... so 15 divided by 3 is 5
   
and also:
  
   
5 groups of 3 make 15... so 15 divided by 5 is 3.
   

So there are four related facts:

  • 3 × 5 = 15
  • 5 × 3 = 15
  • 15 / 3 = 5
  • 15 / 5 = 3

So, knowing your Multiplication Tables can help you with division!

Example: What is 56 ÷ 7 ?

Searching around the multiplication table you find that 56 is 7 × 8, so 56 divided by 7 must be 8. Answer: 56 ÷ 7 = 8.

Names

There are special names for each number in a division:

dividend ÷ divisor = quotient


Example: in 12 ÷ 3 = 4:

  • 12 is the dividend
  • 3 is the divisor
  • 4 is the quotient