Grades 3–5
Division
Division shares a number into equal groups, or asks how many groups fit. It is multiplication run backwards, so every times-table fact is also a division fact.
Work it out.
Ten questions at a time, marked as you go. Pick a skill above and start; nothing to sign up for, and the set works offline once the page has loaded.
What division means
12 ÷ 3 = 4 answers two questions: share 12 between 3 and each gets 4, or count how many 3s make 12, which is 4.
Because 3 × 4 = 12, both 12 ÷ 3 = 4 and 12 ÷ 4 = 3. When a number does not divide exactly, what is left over is the remainder.
Worked examples
Using a table fact
Ask what times 8 makes 56. 8 × 7 = 56, so 56 ÷ 8 = 7.
Short division
8 ÷ 4 = 2. 5 ÷ 4 = 1 remainder 1, carried onto the 2 to make 12. 12 ÷ 4 = 3.
A remainder
5 × 9 = 45 is the nearest below 47, and 47 − 45 leaves 2.
Strategies that help
Use the inverse
For 63 ÷ 9, ask "9 times what is 63?" The answer is 7.
Halve, then halve again
Dividing by 4 is halving twice: 96 ÷ 4 is 48, then 24.
Divide by 10
Every digit moves one place to the right: 340 ÷ 10 = 34.
Check it
Answer × divisor + remainder should give back the starting number: 9 × 5 + 2 = 47.
Divisibility rules
Quick tests for whether a number divides exactly, without doing the division.
| Divides by | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | The last digit is even. | 538 |
| 3 | The digits add up to a multiple of 3. | 471: 4 + 7 + 1 = 12 |
| 4 | The last two digits divide by 4. | 316: 16 = 4 × 4 |
| 5 | The last digit is 0 or 5. | 245 |
| 6 | It divides by both 2 and 3. | 234: even, and 2 + 3 + 4 = 9 |
| 9 | The digits add up to a multiple of 9. | 729: 7 + 2 + 9 = 18 |
| 10 | The last digit is 0. | 1,230 |
Practice questions
Work each one on paper first, then open the answer to check it.
- 42 ÷ 6
Answer
7 - 63 ÷ 9
Answer
7 - 96 ÷ 8
Answer
12 - 144 ÷ 12
Answer
12 - 84 ÷ 4
Answer
21 - 135 ÷ 5
Answer
27 - 726 ÷ 6
Answer
121 - 58 ÷ 7
Answer
8 remainder 2 - 24 stickers are shared equally between 4 friends. How many does each get?
Answer
6 - Does 351 divide exactly by 9?
Answer
Yes: 3 + 5 + 1 = 9, and 351 ÷ 9 = 39.
Common questions
- What is the difference between sharing and grouping?
- Sharing knows the number of groups and finds the size of each (12 shared between 3). Grouping knows the size and finds how many groups (how many 3s in 12). Both give the same answer.
- Can you divide by zero?
- No. 6 ÷ 0 would need a number that makes 6 when multiplied by 0, and every number times 0 is 0, so there is no answer.