Division Made Simple

What does division mean?

Division means splitting a number into equal groups. The symbol for division is ÷.

When you see 12 ÷ 3, you are asking: "If I split 12 into 3 equal groups, how many are in each group?" The answer is 4.

There are two helpful ways to picture it:

• Sharing: 12 cookies shared between 3 plates → 4 cookies on each plate.
• Grouping: 12 cookies put into bags of 3 → you fill 4 bags.

Both give the same answer because both split 12 into equal parts.

Division is the opposite of multiplication

Every division fact has a matching multiplication fact. They undo each other.

Multiplication	Division
4 × 3 = 12	12 ÷ 3 = 4
5 × 2 = 10	10 ÷ 2 = 5
6 × 4 = 24	24 ÷ 4 = 6

This is great news: if you know your times tables, you already know your division facts. To work out 24 ÷ 4, just ask "4 times what equals 24?" The answer is 6.

Division as repeated subtraction

You can also divide by subtracting the same number again and again until you reach zero.

To find 15 ÷ 5, keep subtracting 5:

1. 15 − 5 = 10
2. 10 − 5 = 5
3. 5 − 5 = 0

You subtracted 3 times, so 15 ÷ 5 = 3.

Worked example: sharing fairly

Maya has 18 marbles. She wants to share them equally among 6 friends. How many does each friend get?

We need 18 ÷ 6. Think: "6 times what equals 18?"

Since 6 × 3 = 18, each friend gets 3 marbles.

What is a remainder?

Sometimes a number does not split into perfectly equal whole groups. The amount left over is called the remainder.

Try 10 ÷ 3:

• 3 goes into 10 three times → 3 × 3 = 9
• 10 − 9 = 1 left over

So 10 ÷ 3 = 3 remainder 1.

Here are a few more:

Problem	Equal groups	Remainder
7 ÷ 2	3	1
13 ÷ 4	3	1
20 ÷ 6	3	2

A quick checking trick

To check a division answer, multiply it back. If 20 ÷ 4 = 5, then 5 × 4 should give 20. It does, so the answer is correct. When there is a remainder, multiply and then add the leftover: for 10 ÷ 3 = 3 r 1, check with 3 × 3 + 1 = 10.

Division gets easier every time you practise. Strengthen the skill by reviewing introduction to fractions, since a fraction is really just a division written a different way.