Primary 3 · Number & Algebra
P3 multiplication and division
In P3, your child learns the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables, then multiplies and divides by a 1-digit number in columns. Division that does not come out even leaves a remainder, and in a word problem the question decides what to do with it.
- Taught in
- Term 2
- Syllabus
- 3 skills
- Usual slip
- Dropping the remainder
What your child learns in P3 multiplication and division
Three skills, each with what it looks like on a worksheet.
See the syllabus wording
- multiplication tables of 6, 7, 8 and 9
- multiplying and dividing within the multiplication tables
- division with remainder
- multiplication and division algorithms (up to 3 digits by 1 digit)
- mental calculation involving multiplication and division within multiplication tables
Tables of 6, 7, 8 and 9
New in P3. Each fact also gives two divisions: 6 × 7 = 42, so 42 ÷ 6 = 7 and 42 ÷ 7 = 6. The aim is quick recall, without counting on fingers.
| Multiply | Divide |
|---|---|
| 6 × 7 = 42 | 42 ÷ 6 = 7 |
| 7 × 6 = 42 | 42 ÷ 7 = 6 |
Long multiplication and division
Up to 3 digits by 1 digit. Multiply from the ones and regroup. Divide from the left: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down. Word problems may mix all four operations.
Division with a remainder
When the groups do not come out even, the leftover is the remainder: 29 ÷ 4 = 7 R 1. In a word problem, the leftover may need one more group, or it may be the answer.
Key facts and formulas
- Times tables of 6, 7, 8 and 9Learn them by heart. 7 × 8 is the same as 8 × 7.
× 6 × 7 × 8 × 9 1 6 7 8 9 2 12 14 16 18 3 18 21 24 27 4 24 28 32 36 5 30 35 40 45 6 36 42 48 54 7 42 49 56 63 8 48 56 64 72 9 54 63 72 81 10 60 70 80 90 - Multiply and divide are a pairOne times fact gives two division facts.
- Division with remainderThe number left over is the remainder. It is always smaller than the number you divide by. check →
- Multiply in columnsMultiply the ones, then the tens, then the hundreds. Regroup when you get 10 or more.
- Long divisionStart from the hundreds. Divide, multiply, subtract, then bring down the next digit.
Words to know
- Quotient
- The answer to a division. In 29 ÷ 4 = 7 R 1, it is 7.
- Remainder
- What is left over when the groups do not come out even, written with R.
- Equal groups
- Groups with the same number in each. Division makes equal groups.
- Round up
- Add one more group, because the leftover still needs a place of its own.
The sentence that costs the mark
A school trip has 53 children, and each bus holds 10. How many buses are needed?
What the working usually does
drop the 35 R 3=5 buses
Takes the quotient and stops. But 3 children have no seat on any bus.
What the question asked
round up5 R 3=6 buses
The 3 left over still need a bus, so one more bus is needed.
53 ÷ 10 = 5 R 3 is correct in both columns, so nothing looks careless. The answer turns on the leftover: 3 children with no seat still need a bus. Ask what the leftover has to do before writing the answer.
The same P3 multiplication and division question, worked properly
Lah works through it the way she does every question in StudyLah: one step at a time, marking the picture as she goes.
75 pupils are going on an excursion. Each coach carries 8 passengers. How many coaches are needed at least?
- Each coach holds 8 pupils, so divide 75 by 8. This is the grouping method.
- 75 ÷ 8 = 9 R 3. Draw a unit for each coach. 9 full coaches take 9 × 8 = 72 pupils, and 3 pupils are left over.
- Stopping at 9 leaves 3 pupils with no coach. They need one more, so round up: 9 + 1 = 10.
- So at least 10 coaches are needed.
Every question in StudyLah comes with a walkthrough like this one.
Try it freeThree quick P3 multiplication and division questions
Try them together, then tap to check.
Question 1
947 sweets are shared equally among 5 children. How many sweets are left over?
Show answer
Answer2. 947 ÷ 5 = 189 R 2. Each child gets 189 sweets, and the question asks for the 2 left over.
Question 2
731 is divided by 7. Find the quotient.
Show answer
Answer104, with remainder 3. 3 tens cannot be divided by 7, so the tens digit of the quotient is 0. Leaving it out gives 14.
Question 3
Siti had 210 beads. She used 18 for a bracelet and shared the remaining beads equally among 6 friends. How many beads did each friend receive?
Show answer
Answer32. First 210 − 18 = 192 beads are left to share. Then 192 ÷ 6 = 32.
Helping at home
How to tell it has clicked
Give a question that does not divide evenly, such as 53 children in buses of 10. If the answer is 5, ask where the last 3 children sit. A child who reaches for a sixth bus has it.
Ask for 618 ÷ 3 in columns. An answer of 26 means the 0 in the middle of the quotient was skipped. The right answer is 206.
Try this tonight
Use a real packing job: 53 snacks, 10 to a bag. Count out the bags and watch the last 3 snacks need a whole extra bag.
Whenever a division leaves a remainder, ask one question: what happens to the bit left over? Sometimes it needs another group, and sometimes it is the answer.
Before and after P3 multiplication and division
Builds on
Primary 2 Multiplication Tables of 3 and 4Builds the 3 and 4 times tables
The year before
Primary 2 Multiplication and DivisionMultiplies and divides with equal groups
You are here
Primary 3 Multiplication and Division
Multiplies and divides, and reads the remainder
Leads to
Primary 3 Area and PerimeterMeasures around a shape and inside it
Head Start
P3 to P4 Maths: what to revise before P4One of three P3 topics to revise before P4 Term 1
Leads to
Primary 4 Factors and MultiplesLists factors in pairs and finds multiples
Leads to
Primary 4 Four Operations of Whole NumbersMultiplies, divides and rounds bigger numbers
The methods your child will use here
More in Primary 3
Struggling with the working rather than the topic itself? How to help your child with problem sums
See how your child is doing on this topic
StudyLah marks each step separately, so you can see whether it was the setup or the arithmetic that cost the mark.