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#1 2013-07-29 07:24:50

Registered: 2013-07-12
Posts: 91

What's the formal definition of division?


I read somewhere that division can be defined as multiplying the dividend by the multiplicative inverse of the divisor: a/b = a * 1/b, but the multiplicative inverse is another division problem.

In the forum (/viewtopic.php?id=19823), I was told that partitive division could be re-written as measurement division. How is that done? I want to know why is division the inverse operation of multiplication. Is there a more formal definition?

Thanks for help.


#2 2013-07-29 18:57:14

bob bundy
Registered: 2010-06-20
Posts: 7,613

Re: What's the formal definition of division?

hi atran,

Real analysis starts with a set of definitions.  You'll find these at … ALYSIS.PDF

Axiom E in the first chapter requires the existence of multiplicative inverses.

ie.  If a is a real number, then its inverse is 1/a such that

So if

Which is why I have suggested that division is the inverse operation to multiplication.


In words, if there are b groups each containing c objects and a objects in total then the following are equivalent:

There is also this: … f+division




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