Lesson 1: Interpret Division of Fractions6.NOS.1

I can…

I can use models to interpret what it means to divide by a fraction.

Key words

• Dividend — The number you are splitting up in a division problem.
• Divisor — The number you split by in a division problem.
• Quotient — The answer when you divide.
• Reciprocal — A fraction turned upside down.
• Unit fraction — A fraction with 1 on top, like 1/4.

Steps

1. I want to cut a 3-foot strip of tape into 1/4-foot pieces. I ask: how many 1/4-foot pieces fit into 3 feet?
2. First I look at just 1 foot. How many 1/4-foot pieces fit in 1 foot? Four, because 4 fourths make one whole.
3. Now I have 3 feet. So I do 3 groups of 4: 3 × 4 = 12.
4. So 3 ÷ 1/4 = 12. There are 12 pieces. The answer is bigger than 3 because each piece is very small.

Try it

What does 5 ÷ 1/4 mean, and what is the quotient?

Check your answer

How many 1/4-size pieces fit into 5; quotient is 20

5 ÷ 1/4 means 'how many 1/4-size pieces fit into 5.' Since each whole has 4 fourths, 5 × 4 = 20.

Sentence starter

I know ___ because ___.

Goal: I can explain a fraction division using the words dividend, divisor, quotient, reciprocal, and unit fraction.