divided it by

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "divided it by" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it in mathematical contexts when describing the operation of division involving a number or quantity. Example: "To find the average, I took the total sum and divided it by the number of items."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

44 human-written examples

For each gene, we subtracted its mean and divided it by its standard deviation.

BMC Genomics

Sinclair "basically divided it by the number of taxpayers in Britain".

The Guardian - Arts

He then added the points for each resort together and divided it by the cost of a lift pass to give an overall ranking.

The Guardian - Travel

The French colonialists of the next century set the country's borders and divided it by historical region into three parts: the south, center and north.

The New York Times

Jeremy Sinclair later admitted that they had costed Labour's shadow budget as containing £35bn of public spending and "basically divided it by the number of taxpayers in Britain".

The Guardian

She took the number of students she expects to have in both grades, 240, and divided it by the number of teachers she will be able to afford — 8. (The school combines second and third graders into one class).

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

16 human-written examples

Square it, then divide it by 2. Take its square root.

WikiHow

urine volume by its creatinine concentration and dividing it by the plasma creatinine concentration.

BMC Nephrology

So take the number of people you have and divide it by 4. Statistically speaking, there's your answer.

The Guardian

Divide it by 52 and check you can actually sell and deliver that many sales in a week.

The Guardian

The range is rescaled by dividing it by the standard deviation.

Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "divided it by", ensure the context clearly indicates what "it" refers to. Ambiguity can arise if the antecedent is unclear, leading to confusion.

Common error

A common mistake is to misapply the order of operations when using "divided it by". Always ensure that the division is performed after any necessary additions or subtractions within parentheses or brackets.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "divided it by" functions primarily as a verb phrase indicating a mathematical operation. It expresses the act of dividing a quantity ("it") by another quantity, resulting in a quotient. Ludwig provides numerous examples demonstrating its use in scientific, news, and general contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

40%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "divided it by" is a grammatically sound and functional verb phrase used to describe the act of division. Ludwig's examples demonstrate its presence across diverse domains, including science, news, and general writing. According to Ludwig, the phrase functions mainly to express mathematical operations or proportional relationships, facilitating calculations or comparisons. While it finds frequent use in scientific and technical contexts, the phrase is neutral in tone, suitable for both formal and informal writing, depending on the specific context and audience. When using this phrase, ensure the antecedent of "it" is clearly defined and that the order of operations is correctly followed to prevent errors.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

partitioned it by

Implies a formal or structured division, often used in legal or technical contexts, emphasizing order and precision.

split it into

Implies a separation into distinct parts, changing the focus from a mathematical operation to a partitioning action.

apportioned it among

Suggests a distribution of something among several recipients, shifting the focus to allocation.

cut it into

Suggests a physical act of division, emphasizing the breaking apart of a whole into smaller pieces.

distributed it across

Highlights the spreading of something over an area or group, changing the emphasis to coverage.

shared it between

Focuses on the act of giving portions to multiple parties, emphasizing collaboration or equity.

scaled it down by

Indicates a reduction in size or quantity using a specific factor, emphasizing the reduction aspect.

expressed it as a ratio of

Transforms the division into a comparison of quantities, highlighting the proportional relationship.

reduced it to a fraction of

Emphasizes the simplification and representation of a part relative to the whole.

separated it into groups of

Focuses on the formation of distinct sets, highlighting the grouping aspect rather than the mathematical operation.

FAQs

How can I use "divided it by" in a sentence?

You can use "divided it by" to describe a mathematical operation where one quantity is divided by another. For example, "To find the average, I took the total sum and "divided it by" the number of items."

What is a less formal alternative to "divided it by"?

In less formal contexts, you could use phrases like "split it between" or "shared it among" to convey a similar meaning of dividing something up.

Which is correct: "divided it by" or "divided by it"?

The correct phrase is "divided it by". The phrase "divided by it" implies a different sentence structure, such as "the problem was divided by it".

What's the difference between "partitioned it by" and "divided it by"?

"Divided it by" generally refers to a mathematical division, while "partitioned it by" suggests a more structured or formal division into distinct sections or groups.