Should I multiply or divide?

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What is multiplication?

Back

Multiplication is a mathematical operation where a number is added to itself a certain number of times. For example, 3 multiplied by 4 (3 x 4) means adding 3 four times: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12.

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What is division?

Back

Division is a mathematical operation where a number is split into equal parts. For example, 12 divided by 3 (12 ÷ 3) means splitting 12 into 3 equal parts, which equals 4.

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When should you use multiplication?

Back

Use multiplication when you want to find the total of equal groups. For example, if there are 5 bags with 4 apples each, you multiply 5 by 4 to find the total apples.

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When should you use division?

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Use division when you want to split a total into equal parts or find out how many equal groups can be made. For example, if you have 20 candies and want to share them with 4 friends, you divide 20 by 4.

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Example of multiplication: How many baseballs are in 9 boxes if each box has 36 baseballs?

Back

Multiply: 9 x 36 = 324 baseballs.

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Example of division: If 99 towels are placed in 9 equal stacks, how many towels are in each stack?

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Divide: 99 ÷ 9 = 11 towels per stack.

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What is a key indicator that you should divide?

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A key indicator to divide is when the problem involves sharing or distributing items equally among groups.

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What is a key indicator that you should multiply?

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A key indicator to multiply is when the problem involves finding the total number of items in several equal groups.

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If a student receives 3 juggling balls and there are 1,824 balls total, how many students signed up?

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Divide: 1,824 ÷ 3 = 608 students.

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If there are 4 floors in a building with 1,092 people on each floor, how many people work in total?

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Multiply: 4 x 1,092 = 4,368 people.