- Identify that distributing items equally among groups is represented by division.
- Analyze the operations: multiplication, addition, and subtraction do not describe equal distribution.
- Use division: \(12 \div 3\) results in the number of balloons per friend.
- The correct equation is \(\boxed{12 \div 3 = 4}\).
Explanation
- Analyzing the Problem
To determine how many water balloons each friend receives, we start by identifying the key information provided. We have a total of \(12\) water balloons that need to be distributed equally among \(3\) friends. The action of sharing or distributing a total amount into an equal number of groups is mathematically represented by the operation of division.
- Evaluating the Arithmetic Operations
We evaluate the provided options to see which one correctly models the scenario:
- Multiplication (\(12 \times 3\)) is used to find the total if we have \(3\) groups of \(12\) items, which is not the case here.
- Addition (\(12 + 3\)) is used to find the sum of two quantities, which does not represent distributing items.
- Subtraction (\(12 - 3\)) is used to find the difference between two quantities or the amount remaining after removing some items, which also does not represent equal distribution.
- Division (\(12 \div 3\)) is used specifically to split a total quantity into an equal number of parts. Since we are dividing \(12\) balloons into \(3\) equal portions, this is the correct operation.
- Conclusion and Final Answer
By performing the division, we calculate:
\[12 \div 3 = 4\]
Each friend will receive \(4\) water balloons. The equation that correctly describes this distribution is \(12 \div 3\). Thus, the final answer is \(12 \div 3 = \boxed{4}\).
Examples
Imagine you are organizing a party and have 20 cupcakes to share equally among 5 guests. To ensure every guest gets the same amount, you divide the total number of cupcakes (20) by the number of guests (5). This concept of division is essential for everyday tasks, such as portioning food, distributing allowance money, or organizing items into sets, ensuring that resources are shared fairly and efficiently.