Division splits a total into equal groups. If you share
a things equally among
b groups, each group gets:
a \div b = c
So 12 \div 3 means twelve shared into three
equal groups — four in each. Press play to deal a pile of dots out
one at a time, round and round the groups, until the whole total is shared
out evenly.
Division is the inverse of
multiplication.
Saying 12 \div 3 = 4 is the same as saying
4 \times 3 = 12 — three groups of four make
twelve. Every division fact hides a multiplication fact, so knowing your
times tables means you already know how to divide.
You can also picture division as repeated
subtraction:
keep taking away one group of b until nothing is
left, and count how many times you could do it. From
12, take away 3 four
times to reach 0 — so
12 \div 3 = 4.
These examples all share out exactly. When a total doesn't split
evenly, the leftover is called a remainder — something to explore
later.