Division Word Problems Worksheets
What Are Division Word Problems?
Division word problems are mathematical problems that involve the operation of division. They require you to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to interpret and solve a situation or problem described in words, where the solution involves division.
Let’s look at an example:
Rachel has 36 cookies. She wants to distribute these cookies equally among her 6 friends. How many cookies will each friend receive?
:To solve this problem, we have to divide the total number of cookies by the number of friends.
So, the operation we’ll perform is 36 ÷ 6.
When we perform this operation, we find that each friend will receive 6 cookies.
That’s the basic idea of a division word problem. It presents a situation where you must divide a quantity into equal parts. The problems can get more complex as you increase the grade level, but the concept remains the same. These problems are often used in school to teach division and improve problem-solving skills.
How to Know When a Word Problem Calls for Division
Identifying whether a word problem calls for division is a matter of interpreting the language and understanding the situation presented in the problem. There are some key words and phrases that typically indicate a division operation is needed. Here are some cues:
Shared equally – When a total amount is being distributed or divided into equal parts.
Example – Sam has 24 apples. He wants to share them equally among his 6 friends. How many apples will each friend get?
Per – The word “per” is often a clue that division is needed, especially when we’re talking about rates or ratios.
Example – If a car travels 300 miles on 10 gallons of gas, how many miles does it travel per gallon?
Each – When something is being divided evenly into groups, the word “each” is often used.
Example – Jessica has 56 stickers. She puts them in 8 equal piles. How many stickers are in each pile?
Average or Mean – If a problem asks for the average, it’s a division problem.
Example – What is the average of the following five numbers – 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25?
How many times – When a problem asks you to figure out how many times one number fits into another, it’s asking for division.
Example – How many times can 5 be subtracted from 20?
Remember, these are just indicators, not guarantees. Some problems might use these words but require other operations too, and some problems might require division without using these words. Always consider the overall context and what the problem is asking you to find.
When We Use This Skill In the Real World
Cooking and Baking – If you’re cooking or baking and need to adjust a recipe, you’ll often need to use division. For instance, if a recipe serves 8 but you only want to cook for 2, you’ll need to divide the quantity of each ingredient by 4.
Budgeting and Finance – If you’re managing a budget, you might need to divide your total funds by the number of weeks in the month to work out how much you can spend each week. Similarly, if you’re calculating per-person costs for a group trip, you’ll divide total expenses by the number of people.
Workplace Scenarios – Many professions use division regularly. For instance, teachers dividing class time among lessons, nurses dividing medicine doses, builders dividing materials for construction, or business professionals analyzing performance data.
Travel – If you’re planning a road trip and know the total distance and your car’s miles-per-gallon rating, you can divide to figure out how much gas you’ll need.
Events planning – If you’re planning an event and you need to distribute items equally among guests or figure out seating arrangements, you might need to use division.
Environmental conservation – For instance, to calculate the average amount of waste produced per person in a city, you would divide the total waste by the population.