Question

Hiroko says, “To find the value of 109. 2 ÷ 6, I can divide by 1, 092 / 60 instead.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

I agree with Hiroko's statement. Dividing 109.2 by 6 is the same as dividing 109.2 by 6/1, which is the same as dividing 109.2 by 60/10, or 1092/60.

In general, when performing division, we can divide by any equivalent fraction instead of the divisor. For example, instead of dividing by 3, we can divide by 6/2, or 9/3, or 15/5, etc. These fractions are all equivalent to 3, since they represent the same value.

Therefore, dividing 109.2 by 6 is the same as dividing 1092 by 60, and the result will be the same in both cases.