Word Problems
Learn
Division word problems ask you to split things into equal groups or find how many are in each group. Look for key words that tell you to divide:
- Share equally - "12 cookies shared equally among 4 friends"
- Split into groups - "Split 24 students into groups of 6"
- How many in each - "How many in each box?"
- How many groups - "How many teams can we make?"
- Per - "How many per person?"
Strategy: Read the problem carefully, identify what you are dividing and by what, then solve!
Examples
Let's look at how to solve word problems step by step.
Example 1
A baker made 84 muffins. She puts 6 muffins in each box. How many boxes does she need?
Step 1: Identify the numbers - 84 muffins total, 6 muffins per box
Step 2: Set up the division - 84 divided by 6
Step 3: Solve - 84 / 6 = 14
Answer: 14 boxes
Example 2
There are 156 students going on a field trip. Each bus holds 12 students. How many buses are needed?
Step 1: Identify the numbers - 156 students, 12 per bus
Step 2: Set up the division - 156 divided by 12
Step 3: Solve - 156 / 12 = 13
Answer: 13 buses
Practice
Solve these word problems. Click to reveal the answer after you have worked out your solution.
Question 1: A farmer has 96 apples. He puts them into bags of 8 apples each. How many bags does he fill?
Answer: 12 bags
96 divided by 8 = 12. The farmer fills 12 bags.
Question 2: A school has 240 books to donate equally to 6 libraries. How many books does each library get?
Answer: 40 books
240 divided by 6 = 40. Each library gets 40 books.
Question 3: Maria has 135 stickers. She wants to give the same number to each of her 5 friends. How many stickers does each friend get?
Answer: 27 stickers
135 divided by 5 = 27. Each friend gets 27 stickers.
Question 4: A factory makes 448 toys in one week. If they make the same number each day for 7 days, how many toys do they make per day?
Answer: 64 toys
448 divided by 7 = 64. They make 64 toys per day.
Question 5: A bookshelf has 4 shelves. If 108 books are divided equally among the shelves, how many books are on each shelf?
Answer: 27 books
108 divided by 4 = 27. There are 27 books on each shelf.
Question 6: A pizza shop sold 324 slices of pizza. Each pizza has 6 slices. How many whole pizzas did they sell?
Answer: 54 pizzas
324 divided by 6 = 54. They sold 54 whole pizzas.
Question 7: There are 192 chairs to set up in 8 equal rows. How many chairs are in each row?
Answer: 24 chairs
192 divided by 8 = 24. There are 24 chairs in each row.
Question 8: A store has 270 pencils. They come in packs of 9. How many packs is that?
Answer: 30 packs
270 divided by 9 = 30. That is 30 packs of pencils.
Question 9: A school bus travels 336 miles in 4 trips. If each trip is the same distance, how far is one trip?
Answer: 84 miles
336 divided by 4 = 84. One trip is 84 miles.
Question 10: A gardener plants 252 seeds in rows of 7 seeds each. How many rows of seeds are there?
Answer: 36 rows
252 divided by 7 = 36. There are 36 rows of seeds.
Check Your Understanding
If you got 8 or more questions correct, you are ready to learn about common mistakes!
If you got fewer than 8 correct, try re-reading each problem carefully to identify the key information.
Next Steps
- Review any concepts that felt challenging
- Move on to the next lesson when ready
- Return to practice problems periodically for review