Fraction strip

A fraction strip is a bar representing a whole, divided into equal pieces. It is the linear tape-diagram model of a fraction: the whole is the strip, the denominator is the number of equal pieces, and the numerator is how many are taken.

The same strip models division by a fraction. Make each piece the size of the divisor and the strip the dividend; the number of pieces that fit is the quotient. With a strip 3 wholes long and pieces of 1/2, six pieces fit, so 3 ÷ 1/2 = 6.