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Explain how a dividend of zero affects the quotient

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can explain how a dividend of zero affects the quotient.

Key learning points

  1. If the dividend is zero, then the quotient will be zero.
  2. Zero divided by any number is equal to zero.

Keywords

  • Dividend - The dividend is what we are dividing.

  • Quotient - The quotient is the result after division has taken place.

Common misconception

Children assume that the answer to all questions posed is 0 because that is the focus.

Always encourage children to read an equation aloud and describe the role of each number within it. Relating each to a context can help children to visualise the mathematics when 0 feels abstract.

Teacher tip

Children do not need to consider why we cannot divide by 0 at the early age and stage. However, for teachers, it is worth noting that the relationship between multiplication and division highlights why e.g. 12 divided by 0 is equal to ___ is equivalent to writing 0 x ___ = 12 which is not possible.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
(Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
A number is divisible by 5 if the ones digit is a ___ or a ___

Correct answer: 0
1
2
Correct answer: 5

Q2.
Which of these numbers is divisible by 5?

3
34
Correct answer: 75
88

Q3.
Cakes come in packs of 5 How many cakes could I have altogether if I buy packs of 5 cakes?

4
12
Correct answer: 45
43

Q4.
Look at the equation. Match the number to its description. 45 ÷ 5 = 9

Correct Answer:Dividend ,45

45

Correct Answer:Divisor ,5

5

Correct Answer:Quotient ,9

9

Q5.
Look at the equation. Match the number to its description. 3 × 5 = 15

Correct Answer:Factor,3

3

Correct Answer:Factor,5

5

Correct Answer:Product,15

15

Q6.
0 + 0 + 0 + 0 =

Correct Answer: 0

6 Questions

Q1.
We know that when one of the factors is zero, the product is __________.

Correct answer: zero
one
ten

Q2.
When the dividend is zero, the __________ is zero.

Correct answer: quotient
divisor

Q3.
0 = 0 × 4, so ___ ÷ ___ = ___

4 ÷ 0 = 4
Correct answer: 0 ÷ 4 = 0

Q4.
What is the missing dividend? ÷ 5 = 0

Correct Answer: 0, zero

Q5.
Match the equations to the correct answers.

Correct Answer:10 ÷ 5 = ,2

2

Correct Answer:8 ÷ 2 = ,4

4

Correct Answer:30 ÷ 10 =,3

3

Correct Answer:0 ÷ 4 = ,0

0

Q6.
Lucas wants to share some bananas between 5 people. If we have 0 bananas to share, how many bananas will each person get? Each person will get bananas.

Correct Answer: 0, zero

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