Divide by 4 (halve and halve again)

In this activity, we will be learning a method to divide by 4 to find one quarter of a number.

 

One quarter means 1 out of 4 parts. 

So find one-quarter of a number, we need to divide it into 4 equal parts, as shown in this bar model. 

 

 

To work out a quarter of a number quickly, we can use a mental method to divide by 4.

First, we halve the number.

Then we halve that answer.

 

This diagram shows how to use this method to find one-quarter of 24.

 

Half of	24	is	12
Half of	12	is	6
A quarter of	24	is	6
24 ÷ 4 =			6

 

Let's try an example question together. 

 

Example

Use this table to find 64 ÷ 4 by finding A and B.

  

Half of	64	is	A
Half of	A	is	B
A quarter of	64	is	B
64 ÷ 4 =			B

 

Answer 

First, we find half of 64. This is A. A is worth 32.

Next, we find half of A (32), which is 16.

 

Half of	64	is	32
Half of	32	is	16
A quarter of	64	is	16
64 ÷ 4 =			16

 

So A is 32 and B is 16.

One-quarter of 64 is 16.
 

Now that you know this method, it's time to try dividing some numbers by 4.

Good luck!