Real-world problems involving multiplication and related division facts: Applied

Lina is preparing gift bags for three of her friends, to say thank-you for helping her out with a school project. She plans to fill each bag with origami flowers. She’s made 18 flowers in total. How many should she put in each bag? Let’s write out Lina’s problem with a number sentence.

Three bags multiplied by an unknown number of flowers equals 18 flowers in total. Three multiplied by something equals 18. There’s another way to think of Lina’s problem. She has 18 flowers, and needs to divide them between three bags. 18 divided by three equals something.

Multiplication is related to division. That’s why we can think of the same problem using either operation. Now to find the missing value. 18 divided by three is six. And that means that three times six is 18.

Each of your three friends should get six flowers in their bag, Lina. Let’s hope they like their gifts!