Unknown in Multiplication & Division
Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers (e.g. 8 × ? = 48, ? × 6 = 42)
Lesson
Set out your lesson
Use an inverse relationship to find an unknown quantity.
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1 approach
Use an inverse relationship to find an unknown quantity.
Use an inverse relationship to find an unknown quantity.
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Learning resources
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Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Finding the unknown in a division equation
Before you open · source notes
Learners find the missing number in a division equation. Use it for unknown factors in ÷ equations, not every times-table product.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk which number makes the division equation true and how multiplication could check it.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-11 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “Finding the unknown in a division equation.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only
Check understanding
- Find the missing factor in 7 × ? = 63
- Find the missing dividend in ? ÷ 5 = 9
- Explain the strategy used (e.g. using the related multiplication fact)
“If your child sees '8 × ? = 48' or '? ÷ 6 = 7' written on paper, can they figure out what number goes in the blank?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Multiplication & Division
- Age range
- Ages 8–11
Standards