dividing it by

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dividing it by" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it in mathematical contexts when referring to the operation of division involving a number or quantity. Example: "To find the average, you need to sum all the values and then divide it by the total number of values."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

S is standardised by dividing it by its standard deviation, the square root of its variance Var(S), to form a Z-value.

British Journal of Cancer

We normalized the weight variable by dividing it by its mean in order to scale it to the current study's sample size.

BMC Public Health

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

BMC Nephrology

Therefore, for clarity, we normalize the win-lose score of each player by dividing it by the instantaneous value.

Nature

This measures average pay by taking the total paid to each gender and dividing it by the number of employees of that gender.

The Guardian

But if the P/E ratio remains high even after dividing it by the expected growth rate, that could be an indication of trouble ahead.

The New Yorker

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

Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology

This is calculated by taking your LTV of $194 and dividing it by your $20 CAC, in this example.

Forbes

By dividing it by, multiplying such obtained equality by and summing in from 1 to we get (4.9).

Advances in Difference Equations

The average fluorescence intensity of each image was normalized by dividing it by the average intensity of the background.

Cancer Nanotechnology

BMI it is calculated by taking weight (in kilograms) and dividing it by height (in metres) squared.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "dividing it by", ensure the context clearly indicates what 'it' refers to. This avoids ambiguity and ensures the reader understands the mathematical operation being described.

Common error

Avoid reversing the order of division. Ensure the numerator (the 'it') is clearly identified and is being divided by the intended denominator. Reversing the order will result in an incorrect calculation and misrepresentation of data.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "dividing it by" serves as a prepositional phrase indicating the mathematical operation of division. It highlights the action of dividing a quantity or value by another, as evidenced by the examples in Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

53%

News & Media

29%

Wiki

9%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

2%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "dividing it by" is a common and grammatically correct prepositional phrase used to describe the mathematical operation of division. As Ludwig AI confirms, it appears frequently in scientific, news, and general contexts, indicating how a quantity is divided by another to achieve a result such as normalization, calculation of ratios, or proportional adjustments. When writing, ensure clarity by defining what 'it' refers to, and be careful to avoid reversing the division. Alternative phrasing can provide stylistic variation, but should be chosen based on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

splitting it into

Focuses on separating into parts rather than a strict mathematical division.

partitioning it by

Implies dividing into distinct groups or segments.

reducing it by a factor of

Emphasizes the proportional decrease in size or amount.

scaling it down by

Specifically suggests reducing the size or quantity by a certain factor.

normalizing it against

Suggests adjusting values to a standard scale, often by division.

calculating it relative to

Highlights finding a value in proportion to another, with division as a component.

expressing it as a ratio of

Focuses on the resulting proportion after division.

adjusting it based on

Suggests modifying something according to a divisor.

expressing it in terms of

Emphasizes rephrasing a value using a divisor.

proportioning it to

Implies allocating shares based on a divisor.

FAQs

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

The phrase "dividing it by" is used to describe the process of dividing a quantity by another. For example: "Calculate the profit margin by dividing the net income by the revenue."

What is another way to say "dividing it by"?

Alternatives to "dividing it by" include phrases like "splitting it into", "partitioning it by", or "reducing it by a factor of", depending on the context.

Is there a difference between "dividing it by" and "dividing it into"?

"Dividing it by" implies a mathematical operation where a quantity is divided by another to get a ratio or proportion. "Dividing it into" suggests separation into distinct parts or groups. The former is quantitative, the latter qualitative.

What does "normalizing it against" mean in the context of "dividing it by"?

Normalizing a value involves adjusting it to a common scale, often by dividing it by a reference value. This is used to compare data from different sources or with different units. In this case, "normalizing it against" means adjusting it with respect to a particular value or measure.