How to Use Area Models to Divide Two-Digit Numbers By One-digit Numbers

A Step-by-step Guide to Using Area Models to Divide Two-Digit Numbers by One-digit Numbers

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using area models for this purpose.
Let’s say we want to divide 72 by 9.

Step 1: Draw a Rectangle to Represent the Dividend

The first step is to draw a rectangle. This rectangle will represent the total value you’re working with or the dividend. In this case, that’s 72.

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Step 2: Label the Rectangle

Label the rectangle with the total value (72). This helps to visualize that the entire rectangle is equal to the dividend.

Step 3: Determine the Divisor and Start to Partition the Rectangle

The divisor is the number you’re dividing by. In this case, it’s 9. Start to partition (divide) your rectangle into parts that represent the divisor. For instance, since our divisor is 9, we could try partitioning our rectangle into parts of 9.

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Step 4: Continue Partitioning the Rectangle Until You’ve Reached the Total Value

Continue partitioning your rectangle into groups of 9 until you’ve reached the total value of 72. You should end up with 8 equal sections, each representing a value of 9.

Step 5: Count the Number of Sections

The number of sections you have is your answer or quotient. Count up all the sections you have – in this case, you should have 8 sections. So, 72 divided by 9 equals 8.

This is a simplified method and works best when the dividend is a multiple of the divisor. If the dividend isn’t a multiple of the divisor, you’ll end up with a remainder, which can be represented as an additional, smaller section of the rectangle.

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