The quotient of three divided by one-fifth is different from the quotient of one-fifth divided by three because division is not commutative. In other words, changing the order of the numbers being divided will result in a different quotient.
To see why, let's calculate each quotient:
- Three divided by one-fifth is 3 ÷ (1/5) = 3 x 5 = 15.
- One-fifth divided by three is (1/5) ÷ 3 = (1/5) x (1/3) = 1/15.
So the first quotient is 15 and the second quotient is 1/15, which are clearly not the same.
Why is the quotient of three divided by one-fifth different from the quotient of one-fifth divided by three?
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