Grade 5 · Math · Lesson 16

Divide Fractions and Mixed Numbers

Dividing fractions sounds tricky, but there is a one-step trick that makes it just as easy as multiplying. The big idea: dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal — the fraction flipped upside down. Once you flip the second fraction, you simply multiply across like always.

What this lesson teaches

1Picture division by a unit fraction by counting how many fraction-pieces fit in the whole
2Apply the keep-change-flip rule to divide by a fraction by multiplying by its reciprocal
3Divide a fraction by a fraction by multiplying the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second
4Convert mixed numbers to improper fractions before dividing, then simplify the quotient

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