by Scipi – Science and Math

5th – 8th Grade

One day, a student of mine, a mathphobic to be sure, asked, “Why can’t I divide by zero?” Promptly I gave him the answer that any good mathematician would. “You can’t divide by zero because 0 is undefined. It just cannot be done.” Well, that went over like a lead balloon; so, I knew it was time to sit and down and write out a plausible but understandable explanation that my students could understand.

That is what this two page free resource is – a sequential step-by-step explanation of why you cannot divide by zero. It starts off out by explaining what division is and how it relates to multiplication. It concludes with a simple visual to help the students remember the difference between 0 being in the numerator and 0 being in the denominator.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Why-We-Cant-Divide-by-Zero-1154118