Mathematics has a number of specified terminology that is used to describe certain types of numbers, equations, formulas, and more. So what does quotient mean in math? Well the quotient is the answer or result of dividing two numbers by each other. Lets look at some examples:
Example Problems
12 / 4 = ?
12 / 4 = 3
3 = quotient
In this straightforward example, the problem is asking to divide 12 by 4. When solving the problem, it’s important to remember that the “solution” to the problem is identified as the quotient. While it may seem arbitrary to name the solution with such complicated terminology, it can actually be used against you in more word-heavy problems. Let’s take a look at an example that tries to trick you:
John has 12 boxes of cola with 3 different total flavors. He knows there is an equal amount of boxes for each flavor but he wants to know how many boxes of each flavor he has.
This problem can be written out a number of ways:
12 / x = 3
12 / 3 = ?
Regardless of which way you choose to write it out, the solution still comes out to 4. 4 in this case would be the quotient. It’s important to read word problems carefully as they often times have multiple approaches to the solution. I’d recommend taking the time to reread it slowly a couple of times until you thoroughly understand what the problem is asking of you. If you’re still having difficulty understanding what’s being asked, I recommend to try and identify the terminology that’s being used. Some word problems will explicitly ask you to find the quotient, which means you’ll be looking for the solution to a division-related problem.
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