What is x when 72 divided by x equals 4?

In other words, what would the divisor be if the dividend were 72 and the quotient 4?

To find the answer, just divide the dividend by the quotient: 72 ÷ 4 = 18

To prove this, let's compute 72 divided by 18: 72 18 = 4

How does it work?

Asking what the value of x could be when 72 divided by x gives a result of 4, is equivalent to solving the following equation:

72 x = 4

  1. Multiply both sides by x: 72 x x = 4 x
  2. 72 x x is equivalent to x x × 72 , which simplifies to 1 × 72 (or just 72 ).
  3. Thus, the equation becomes: 72 = 4 x
  4. To find x, divide both sides by 4: 72 4 = 4 x 4
  5. Which gives, after simplification: 18 = x (or x = 18 )

So, if the dividend is 72 and the quotient is 4, the divisor is 18.