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ELI5 Yahaaa

Fair shares

How Does Division Work?

Division takes one pile and shares it into equal groups.

12 counters Starting total ÷ 3 GROUP 1 GROUP 2 GROUP 3 3 equal groups · 4 in each
Same total. Three fair groups of four.

  1. Step 1 of 5

    Start with a pile and some groups.

    What you have 12 countersGroups to fill 3 groups

    Division needs two numbers: how much you have, and how many groups to fill.

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Equal groups, or it is not division.

    Group 1: fiveGroup 2: threeGroup 3: four

    Five, three and four are not equal, so this sharing is not finished yet.

  3. Step 3 of 5

    Deal one at a time.

    1 Round 11 each2 Round 22 each3 Round 33 each4 Round 4Pile empty

    One counter to each group, round and round, until the pile is empty.

  4. Step 4 of 5

    The answer is the size of one group.

    12 ÷ 3 = 4 GROUP 1 GROUP 2 GROUP 3 One group has 4

    Twelve shared between three groups gives four in each. So 12 ÷ 3 = 4.

  5. Step 5 of 5

    Multiply to check it.

    Put the equal groups back together GROUP 1 GROUP 2 GROUP 3 3 × 4 = 12

    Three groups of four make twelve again, so the sharing was right.

    A pack of 52 cards shared between 4 players is 13 cards each.

The short version

Division splits a total into equal groups. The answer is the size of one group.

Try it yourself

Share 12 beans into 3 cups, one bean per cup each turn. Every cup ends with 4.

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