How to Do Division?

The four-step cycle, explained

1. Divide: figure out how many times the divisor fits into the current digit(s).
2. Multiply: multiply that number by the divisor.
3. Subtract: subtract that result from the current digit(s) to find the remainder so far.
4. Bring down: bring down the next digit of the number being divided and repeat.

Worked example — 963 ÷ 3

1. 9 ÷ 3 = 3. Write 3 above the 9. Multiply 3 × 3 = 9. Subtract 9 − 9 = 0.
2. Bring down the next digit (6). 0 becomes 6. 6 ÷ 3 = 2. Write 2 above the 6. Multiply 2 × 3 = 6. Subtract 6 − 6 = 0.
3. Bring down the next digit (3). 0 becomes 3. 3 ÷ 3 = 1. Write 1 above the 3. Multiply 1 × 3 = 3. Subtract 3 − 3 = 0.
4. Result: 321 (with nothing left over), so 963 ÷ 3 = 321.

When there's a remainder — example, 97 ÷ 4

1. 9 ÷ 4 = 2 (since 4 × 2 = 8, the largest multiple of 4 not exceeding 9). Subtract 9 − 8 = 1.
2. Bring down the 7. 1 becomes 17. 17 ÷ 4 = 4 (4 × 4 = 16). Subtract 17 − 16 = 1.
3. No more digits to bring down, so the answer is 24 remainder 1, written as 24 R1.

Turning a remainder into a decimal instead of "R1": add a decimal point and a zero after the last digit of the number being divided, then keep bringing down zeros and continuing the same divide-multiply-subtract cycle. For 97 ÷ 4: after getting remainder 1, bring down a 0 to make 10. 10 ÷ 4 = 2 (4 × 2 = 8), remainder 2. Bring down another 0 to make 20. 20 ÷ 4 = 5 (4 × 5 = 20), remainder 0. Result: 24.25.

Checking the answer: multiply the quotient (the answer) by the divisor, and add back any remainder — it should equal the original number being divided. For the first example: 321 × 3 = 963. ✓

You may also want How to Find the Average? or How to Find the Hypotenuse of a Triangle?.

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