How to divide fractions by integers
Just like with whole numbers you can perform the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) with fractions too.
To divide fractions by a whole number, you divide the numerator by the whole number and the denominator stays the same.
Dividing fractions by integers
Complete this interactive activity to learn more about how to divide fractions by integers and then put your knowledge to the test with a quiz.
Divide a fraction by a whole number
When you are dividing fractions by a whole number, you just have to remember to divide the numerator by the whole number. The denominator will stay the same.
Let’s look at an example.
Imagine you have \(\frac{9}{10}\) of a pizza and need to share it equally between 3 friends.
Divided equally, you can see that each person will get 3 slices of pizza, or \( \frac{3}{10} \).
For the calculation, you divide the numerator of 9 equally between 3.
The denominator of 10 will stay the same, as you're not changing the size of the fraction, only the number of parts that each person has.
Example 1
There is \(\frac{6}{8}\) of a pizza left. 3 people want to share this equally between them.
What fraction of the pizza will they each have?
✓ You're not changing the size of the slices of pizza, so the size of the denominator will not change.
This means that you are only changing the numerator.
Here the numerator is 6. So you divide this by 3 to give a new numerator of 2.
\(\frac{6}{8}\) ÷ 3 = \(\frac{2}{8}\)
Example 2
This jug is \(\frac{8}{9}\) full of juice.
How much juice will 4 people get if this juice is shared equally between them?
✓ Each person will get \(\frac{2}{9}\).
You're not changing the size of the denominator, so you only need to divide the numerator by the whole number.
\(\frac{8}{9}\) ÷ 4 = \(\frac{2}{9}\)
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More on Fractions
Find out more by working through a topic
- count1 of 5
- count2 of 5
- count3 of 5
- count4 of 5
