Let's go through each of the
word problems and determine whether you should
multiply or divide fractions to solve them. I'll explain the reasoning for each.
---
1. Mr. Simpson feeds his dog 1/2 of a cup of dog food each day. How long will 4 cups of dog food last?
- He uses
½ cup per day.
- We have
4 cups total.
- We want to know:
How many days will 4 cups last?
- This is:
$$
\text{Total amount} \div \text{Amount used per day} = 4 \div \frac{1}{2}
$$
- So, we
divide.
✔ Answer: B) divide
---
2. Tyreick wants to fill six containers with 3/4 of a cup of lemonade. How much lemonade will he need to fill the six containers?
- Each container holds
¾ cup.
- There are
6 containers.
- Total lemonade needed:
$$
6 \times \frac{3}{4}
$$
- So, we
multiply.
✔ Answer: A) multiply
---
3. A fudge company makes 4 pounds of fudge. A worker separates the fudge into packages of 1/4 of a pound of fudge each. How many packages does he make?
- Total fudge: 4 pounds
- Each package: ¼ pound
- Number of packages:
$$
4 \div \frac{1}{4}
$$
- We're dividing the total by the size of each part →
division
✔ Answer: B) divide
---
4. A chef has 3/6 of a pound of flour to divide equally into two containers. How much flour will be in each container?
- Total flour: 3/6 lb (which simplifies to ½ lb)
- Dividing into
2 equal parts
- Amount per container:
$$
\frac{3}{6} \div 2 = \frac{1}{2} \div 2 = \frac{1}{4}
$$
- So, we
divide
✔ Answer: A) divide
---
5. Ben made 5 cups of Koolaid. He wants to pour it into glasses that will hold 1/2 cup. How many glasses will he be able to fill with Koolaid?
- Total liquid: 5 cups
- Each glass holds: ½ cup
- Number of glasses:
$$
5 \div \frac{1}{2}
$$
- We’re finding how many ½-cup portions fit into 5 cups →
division
✔ Answer: B) divide
---
6. Kristen bought 60 cookies. She shared 1/4 of them with her friends. How many cookies did she share?
- Total cookies: 60
- She shared
1/4 of them
- So:
$$
60 \times \frac{1}{4} = 15
$$
- This is a
fraction of a total, so we
multiply
✔ Answer: B) multiply
---
7. A bookstore had 100 paperback books. 1/5 of the paperback books were nonfiction books. How many books were nonfiction?
- Total books: 100
- Fraction that are nonfiction: 1/5
- So:
$$
100 \times \frac{1}{5} = 20
$$
- Again, finding a
part of a whole →
multiply
✔ Answer: A) multiply
---
8. Jennifer has 3 1/2 cups of jelly beans to share with 7 friends. How many cups does each friend get?
- Total jelly beans: 3½ cups = $ \frac{7}{2} $ cups
- Shared among 7 friends
- Each gets:
$$
\frac{7}{2} \div 7 = \frac{7}{2} \times \frac{1}{7} = \frac{1}{2}
$$
- So, we
divide the total by the number of people
✔ Answer: B) divide
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✔ Final Answers:
| Question | Answer | Operation |
|--------|--------|----------|
| 1 | B | Divide |
| 2 | A | Multiply |
| 3 | B | Divide |
| 4 | A | Divide |
| 5 | B | Divide |
| 6 | B | Multiply |
| 7 | A | Multiply |
| 8 | B | Divide |
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Let me know if you'd like the full solutions (with calculations) for any of these!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of dividing fractions word problems worksheet 5th grade.
