Question

Which of the following shows 15 divided by 3?

• A. 15 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3
• B. 15 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3
• C. 15 − 3 − 3 − 3
• D. 15 + 3 + 3 + 3

Answer 1

The correct option is B 15 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3

Division is known as repetitive subtraction.

Let’s look at the table below, where 3 is repeatedly subtracted from 5.

$\begin{array}{cc}1.& 15-3=12\\ 2.& 12-3=9\\ 3.& 9-3=6\\ 4.& 6-3=3\\ 5.& 3-3=0\end{array}$

3 is subtracted five times from 15, to get 0.

Therefore,
15 divided by 3 = 15 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3 − 3