Division is a mathematical operation that involves finding out how many times one number can be divided by another. In this article, we will explore the concept of division by looking at the problem of “120 divided by 7”.
Understanding Division
Division is essentially the opposite of multiplication. When we multiply two numbers, we are finding out the total value of a certain number of groups of that number. For example, 3 x 4 means “3 groups of 4”, which equals 12.
Division, on the other hand, involves finding out how many groups a certain number can be divided into. For example, if we have 12 apples and we want to divide them equally between 3 people, we would perform the division operation 12 ÷ 3, which would give us an answer of 4.
Dividing 120 by 7
So, what happens when we try to divide 120 by 7? The answer is not a whole number, which can be confusing for some people. However, it is important to remember that division can result in fractions or decimals.
To perform this division operation, we would simply write it out like this:
120 ÷ 7
And then we would begin the division process:
7 | 120
–
1
The first step is to ask ourselves: how many times does 7 go into 12? The answer is 1, since 7 x 1 = 7, which is the closest we can get to 12 without going over.
Next, we subtract 7 from 12, which gives us a remainder of 5:
7 | 120
-1
—–
5
Now, we bring down the next digit, which is a 0:
7 | 120
-1
—–
50
We repeat the process: how many times does 7 go into 50? The answer is 7, since 7 x 7 = 49, which is the closest we can get to 50 without going over.
Next, we subtract 49 from 50, which gives us a remainder of 1:
7 | 120
-1
-49
—–
1
Finally, we bring down the last digit, which is a 0:
7 | 120
-1
-49
—–
10
And we repeat the process one last time: how many times does 7 go into 10? The answer is 1, since 7 x 1 = 7, which is the closest we can get to 10 without going over.
Finally, we subtract 7 from 10, which gives us a remainder of 3:
7 | 120
-1
-49
-7
—–
3
Therefore, the answer to “120 divided by 7” is:
120 ÷ 7 = 17 with a remainder of 3.
Why Remainders Matter
Remainders are an important part of division because they can help us represent fractions or decimals. In the case of “120 divided by 7”, the remainder of 3 means that the answer is not a whole number. We can represent this answer as a mixed number:
17 3/7
This means that the answer is 17 whole units and 3/7 of another unit.
We can also represent this answer as a decimal:
17.142857…
This decimal goes on forever, but we can round it to a certain number of decimal places depending on our needs.
Practice Makes Perfect
Now that you understand how to divide one number by another, it’s time to practice! Try out some division problems on your own and see if you can get the right answers.
Remember, division can sometimes result in fractions or decimals, so don’t be alarmed if your answer doesn’t come out as a whole number.
With practice, you’ll get better at division and be able to solve more complex problems.
Conclusion
Dividing 120 by 7 may seem like a simple math problem, but it can actually teach us a lot about the concept of division as a whole.
Remember to always consider remainders when performing division, as they can help us represent our answer as a fraction or decimal.
And most importantly, keep practicing! Division is a fundamental math skill that can be applied to many different areas of life, so it’s important to master it.