Divide (or division) is essentially splitting a whole into equal parts. It's the inverse operation of multiplication, meaning it "undoes" multiplication.
Here's a breakdown:
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The Core Idea: Division answers the question, "How many groups of this size can I make from this much?" or "If I split this much into this many groups, how big is each group?"
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Example: If you have 12 cookies and want to divide them equally among 4 friends, you are dividing 12 by 4 (12 ÷ 4). The answer, 3, tells you that each friend gets 3 cookies. The reference video states: "...that's how you can divide 12 into 4 equal parts and that's the basic idea behind division. So 12 divided by 4 is 3."
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Relationship to Multiplication: Division is the reverse of multiplication. In the example above, 12 ÷ 4 = 3 because 4 x 3 = 12. This is further explained in the reference video where it states, "Now division is the reverse of multiplication. Four times three is twelve."
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Key Terms:
- Dividend: The number being divided (e.g., 12 in 12 ÷ 4).
- Divisor: The number you are dividing by (e.g., 4 in 12 ÷ 4).
- Quotient: The result of the division (e.g., 3 in 12 ÷ 4).
In short, division is a fundamental mathematical operation that involves splitting a quantity into equal portions or finding out how many times one quantity is contained within another. It's the opposite of multiplication.
