Divide unit fractions and whole numbers (grade 5) · lesson

How many pieces fit?

💡 A whole number divided by a unit fraction asks how many of those small pieces fit, so the answer is bigger.

2 ÷ 1/6 asks how many sixths are in 2 wholes. Each whole has 6 sixths.

So 2 wholes have 2 × 6 = 12 sixths. Scoops, pieces, and sections in stories work the same way.

🧠 Let's work it out

How many 1/3-meter pieces are in 7 meters?

What do you think comes next?

💡 A unit fraction divided by a whole number cuts that piece into smaller equal pieces.

1/7 ÷ 2 cuts one seventh into 2 equal parts. Each part is half of a seventh.

Half of 1/7 is 1/14. So dividing by 2 is the same as times 1/2. The bottom gets multiplied.

🧠 Let's work it out

Find 1/7 ÷ 2.

What do you think comes next?

💡 When people share a fraction of something, divide that fraction by the number of people.

Some stories share only part of a thing, like 1/5 of a cake. Each person gets a part of the whole cake.

Divide the fraction by the number of people. The answer is the fraction of the whole thing each gets.