DIVISION

OF
FRACTIONS

IMPORTANT: We always want to

remember that dividing is
asking how many of that fit
into this?. In 10 5, we are
really asking how many 5s fit
into 10? This is the same
question we ask when dividing
fractions: how many of the
second fraction fit into the
first?

Problem:
I have 6 cookies. I put
two (2) cookies in a bag.
How many bags do I need?

Pictorial
Representation

I say

I write

I can write as

62=3

1
2 = 2 bags

1 2
2
x
or 2

with half a 1
1
1
cookie
each

1 =4 bags
2
2 with half a

cookie each

2 2
4
x
or 4
1 1
1

A serving is

1
2

cookie. How many

servings can I make from 2 cookies?

I say: How many cookies am I going to cut into halves?

Representation:
Cut by

I write:

1
2
= 4
2

TASK 2
1
2

1. A serving is

cookie. How many servings can I

make from 1 cookie?

1 cookie. How many servings can I
2

2. A serving is

make from 3 cookies?

1
2

3. A serving is

cookie. How many servings can I

make from 3 cookie?

4
1
2

3. A serving is

cookie. How many servings can I

make from 7 cookie?

8

1
Tony cuts a
meter piece of wood and
2

divides it into 3 pieces. How long is each piece

of wood?

1
meter
2

1
m
6

1
m
6

1
m
6

How many halves are

there in six fourths?

Lets say that we wanted to

find (2/5) (1/8). Convention
tells us to flip the 1/8 and
multiply across. But can we
show this with pictures?

This picture below represents

2/5.

Out of the 5 rows we have 2 orange ones.

Now to address divide by 1/8 we want

to divide the entire area into 8 vertical
columns (8ths).

 and take1 of these columns (because we

want 1/8).

The darker line surrounds 1 out of the 8

vertical columns we had drawn in the previous
step. This area 15 or 5 will be our
answers denominator. But what will the
answers numerator be?

In the above picture, the extra orange boxes have been colored
green to show that they are outside the bounded area. We now
have to figure out how many sets of 5 (from area 15) we have.

We have 3 sets of 5 and 1 left over, or 3 and

1/5. This answers improper fraction
is16/5, which is the number of colored
boxes over the total number of boxes within
the bounded 15 region.

Closing Activity
Make an illustration to find each quotient. Express your
answer in lowest terms.

1.
2.

2
1
= _______

3
4
5
1
= _______

7
12

2
1
= _______

13
5
3
5
7.
= _______

4
7
6.

4
2
3.
= _______

13
13

1
2
8.
= _______

12
13

5
5
4.
= _______

22
11

9.

2
5
= _______

13
12

2
5
= _______

5
18

10.

3
1
= _______

4
2

5.

Doing and Undoing

Divide by
Dividend

1
2
Divisor

6
12

2
5
2
6

3
5

1
7

Supply the missing number in the [ ] to make the

sentence correct.

3
1
4
4
5
=

5
12
5
3
4
2
2. 2 2
= [] 8
5
7
5
1. [ ] 2

3
5
1
1
= 3
7
12
12
1
3
3
2
2

4.
= []
5
7
2
4
3. [ ] 2

1
2
4
3
1

3. [ ] 1
=
12
5
5