Understanding and Solving Long Division Word Problems

How to Solve Long Division Word Problems

Approaching Word Problems

The first thing you need to do when faced with a word problem is find the math question within it. Before you can solve an equation, you need to make sure you know what the question is really asking. When it comes to division word problems, there will usually be a larger number given and a smaller number. Read the question carefully, but most of the time you can write the problem as a numeric equation by dividing the larger number by the smaller number.

Examples

The following sample problems can help you begin to see the pattern of division word problems.

1. Leo has 450 stickers to sell at school. If he breaks the stickers into groups of four, how many students can he sell stickers to?
2. Lena knows 312 songs by heart. Her little sister Susana wants to learn them, too. If Lena teaches Susana 12 songs a day, how many days will it take for Susana to learn all 312 songs?
3. Rae and her twin brother River are sending invitations to their joint birthday party. They are allowed to have 50 people over all together. All of Rae and River's friends are bringing along one of their siblings. Since everyone is bringing someone, how many friends can Rae and River invite?

Answers

1. The answer is 112 students because 450 is the total number of stickers, so you know that the math problem inside the story is going to be 450 divided by something. The next clue can be found in the second sentence - Leo needs to break his stickers into groups of four. That's the same as 450 ÷  4. Although the answer is 112.5, you cannot sell to 1/2 of a person, so the final answer is 112 students.
2. It will take 26 days. This problem is similar to the last one. We are presented with a large number up front (312) and a smaller number in the second sentence (12). Since there aren't any other numbers in this problem, it's clear that the math question is 312 ÷  12.
3. The twins can invite 25 people. The total number of possible friends that Rae and River can have over is 50. That means that the numeric equation we are working with will be 50 divided by something. Next we learn that each friend is coming with a sibling, so every one person they invite turns into two. To find the answer, divide 50 by 2.