Division and Zero
Every new session holds a new adventure. Meeting new children, understanding new problems, discussing new ways of thinking and new examples all boosts my math spirits in a renewed manner. This session with one of my class VII saw me teaching a few of my old students. The joy on their faces to have me as their math teacher again was heartening. More heartening and encouraging was the fact that my students were able to answer a basuc mathematics question which none could answer. Though it gave me immense pleasure to know that my students could recall, while others couldnt, it quickly left my brain ticking. What was it that had helped them remember the concept. How could i ensure that all my students would remember what all i taught them.
The question that i had put to them was what is 5/0 And what is 0/5. Answers to which are not defined and 0. I am not sure how all other teachers teach this concept of division by 0 And division of 0. But i explain it in two ways. Firstly by a real life example as division in real life means distribution. So 0/5 Means i have nothing in my hand but i distribute it amonst 5 Kids. Basically i act as if i am distributing, just like my two year old does so often. So the result of my acted distribution is that the 5 Kids get Nothing! So 0/5 equals 0. Now lets talk about 5/0. I have 5 things but there are no kids i can distribute those to. So basically i cant distribute. I cant make the process of distribution happen . Distribution or mathematically speaking division is not possible. It is not defined. So 5/0 is not defined.
the other explanation that I offer is related to division being a process of repeated subtraction.
Let us see why these explanations worked with my students. They are easy. They are short. They are related to their life. The explanations differ in their nature. One is purely feeling based,other is mathematical. I like both. But the feeling vala has a lot of my feelings attached to it as well. So i urge my fellow teachers as well as my students to share some questions and the way they explain or think about it.
The question that i had put to them was what is 5/0 And what is 0/5. Answers to which are not defined and 0. I am not sure how all other teachers teach this concept of division by 0 And division of 0. But i explain it in two ways. Firstly by a real life example as division in real life means distribution. So 0/5 Means i have nothing in my hand but i distribute it amonst 5 Kids. Basically i act as if i am distributing, just like my two year old does so often. So the result of my acted distribution is that the 5 Kids get Nothing! So 0/5 equals 0. Now lets talk about 5/0. I have 5 things but there are no kids i can distribute those to. So basically i cant distribute. I cant make the process of distribution happen . Distribution or mathematically speaking division is not possible. It is not defined. So 5/0 is not defined.
the other explanation that I offer is related to division being a process of repeated subtraction.
Let us see why these explanations worked with my students. They are easy. They are short. They are related to their life. The explanations differ in their nature. One is purely feeling based,other is mathematical. I like both. But the feeling vala has a lot of my feelings attached to it as well. So i urge my fellow teachers as well as my students to share some questions and the way they explain or think about it.
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