Skill: Solve equal-sharing division problems

Equal-sharing division means splitting a total into a given number of equal groups.

In a division problem:

• The total is the number being shared.
• The divisor tells how many groups there are.
• The quotient tells how many objects are in each group.

Example

Share $(23)$ cookies equally among $5$ children.

1. The total is $(23)$ cookies.

2. The number of groups is $5$, because there are $5$ children.

3. Find how many cookies each child can get. Think of a multiplication fact:

$$5 \times 4 = 20$$

So, $5$ groups can each have $4$ cookies.

4. Check what is left:

$$23 - 20 = 3$$

There are $3$ cookies left over.

You can picture the sharing like this:

$$\begin{array}{cccc} \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪}\\ \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪}\\ \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪}\\ \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪}\\ \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} & \text{🍪} \end{array} \quad \text{and } 3 \text{ left over}$$

Therefore,

$$23 \div 5 = 4\text{ remainder }3$$

Each child gets $4$ cookies, and $3$ cookies cannot be shared equally among the $5$ children.