IXL | Divide unit fractions by whole numbers: word problems

During snack time at preschool, the teacher divided 1/3 of a gallon of milk evenly among 3 students. How much milk did each student get?

Write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.

gallons

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Learn with an example

question

Workmen used 1/2 of a pallet of pavers to build 3 steps leading up to the mansion. Each step they built was the same size. How many pallets did they use for each step?

Write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.

pallets

key idea

Write mixed numbers and whole numbers as improper fractions. Multiply by the reciprocal of the divisor.

solution

Divide the total amount of pallets by the number of steps.

Write

as an improper fraction:

Turn this from a division problem into a multiplication problem by multiplying by the reciprocal.

Now multiply.

1 × 1

2 × 3

The workmen used 1/6 of a pallet for each step.

Looking for more? Try this:

Lesson: Dividing fractions by whole numbers

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Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

U.1Divide unit fractions by whole numbers

P.2Multiply two fractions: word problems

T.2Understand fractions as division: word problems

Lesson: Dividing fractions by whole numbers

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