Division Word Problems Interpreting Remainders

Jack is moving and needs to pack 38 books into small boxes. He packs six books in each box. How many books do not fit into a box?

• 6 books 

• 5 books 

• 1 book

• 2 books 

Sue has 55 inches of ribbon.  She wants to cut the ribbon into 6 equal pieces.  How long will each piece be?  

• 9 1/6 inches each, she should add the remainder as a fraction.  

• Each piece would be 9 inches and she should just throw away the extra.  

We have learned that we can't split people or animals in fraction pieces. So if they are the remainders in division problems we need to:  

• Use them as a fraction.  

• Use only the quotient.  

• Add 1 to the quotient.  

• Use only the remainder.  

If we are talking about food or things that you can measure in a division word problem and there is a remainder, how can we interpret the remainder?  

• Write the remainder as a fraction.  

• Use only the quotient.

• Add 1 to the quotient. 

• Use only the remainder.  

A school library received 687 new books. If the librarian plans to distribute them equally among 5 sections, how many books will each section receive, and how many books will be left?

During a charity event, 462 t-shirts were donated. If they are to be given out in bags of 6 to the homeless, how many bags can be made, and how many t-shirts will not make a full bag?

Mr. and Mrs. Smith bought 942 candies for Halloween. If they decide to give them out in packets of 10, how many full packets can they create, and how many candies will remain?

Remainder​ (a)  

• drop it

• round it

• share it

A factory produced 901 teddy bears in a day. If they are packed into boxes of 8, how many full boxes can be filled, and how many teddy bears will be left unpacked?

Samantha has 835 pencils that she wants to share with her 4 friends. If the pencils are divided equally, how many pencils will each friend receive, and how many pencils will Samantha keep for herself?