Division as a fraction

Siti had 3 papayas of the same size. She shared all of them equally among 4 children. What fraction of a papaya did each child get? Try it first. Pause if you like. [Mathweave logo sounds] Here are the 3 papayas. And here are the 4 children, one plate each. The papayas are what's being shared. The children are how many ways. So the sum is 3 divided by 4. 3 papayas won't go round 4 children whole. So cut every papaya into 4 equal parts. All 3 of them, the same way. One part of a papaya is one quarter of it. Now hand them out. One part from each papaya, to each child. From the first papaya. From the second. From the third. Every part is on a plate and there's nothing left over. Look at one child's plate. 3 parts. Push them together and they're 3 parts of one papaya. 3 divided by 4 is three quarters. The 3 papayas are what's being shared. The 4 children are how many ways. In a division written as a fraction, the number being shared is on top. So each child gets three quarters of a papaya, which is less than one whole.