The inverse relation between multiplication and division: Concepts, procedures, and a cognitive framework

Researchers have speculated that children find it more difficult to acquire conceptual understanding of the inverse relation between multiplication and division than that between addition and subtraction. We reviewed research on children and adults’ use of shortcut procedures that make use of the inverse relation on two kinds of problems: inversion problems (e.g., 9 ×24 ?24 {9} \times {24} \div {24} ) and associativity problems (e.g., 9 ×24 ?8 {9} \times {24} \div {8} ). Both can be solved more easily if the division of the second and third numbers is performed before the multiplication of the first and second numbers. The findings we reviewed suggest that understanding and use of the inverse relation between multiplication and division develops relatively slowly and is difficult for both children and adults to implement in shortcut procedures if they are not flexible problem solvers. We use the findings to expand an existing model, highlight some similarities and differences in solvers’ use of conceptual knowledge across operations, and discuss educational implications of the findings.