Division is the inverse of multiplication — it undoes it. If you multiply to get a total, dividing takes you straight back to where you started:

Multiplying by b and then dividing by b lands you back on a, like walking forwards and then back again. Press play to build an array by multiplying, then split it back into equal groups to divide.

Because the two operations undo each other, one multiplication fact gives you a whole fact family. From a \times b = c you instantly get:

For example, 3 \times 4 = 12 hands you four facts at once: 4 \times 3 = 12, 12 \div 4 = 3 and 12 \div 3 = 4. So every time you learn a times-table fact, you also learn two divisions for free.

This is why your times tables are the key to dividing quickly. To work out 56 \div 8, don't share dots one by one — just ask “eight times what makes fifty-six?” You know 8 \times 7 = 56, so 56 \div 8 = 7. Knowing the multiplication fact is knowing the division.

Khan Academy relates multiplication and division here: