Division

Learning Objective — Spec Ref N2:

Divide numbers without using a calculator.

There are different ways to divide numbers without using a calculator.

Example 6 shows ‘short division’ and Example 7 shows ‘long division’.

Example 6

Work out 6148 ÷ 4.

Write the division with the number you want to divide

g
inside and the number you’re dividing by to the left. 1
4 6 21 4 8
1. Look at the first digit, 6. 4 goes into 6 once with 2 left
over, so write 1 above 6, keeping the columns in line.

g
Then carry the remainder, 2, over to the next column. 1 5
4 6 21 14 8
2. Move to the next column — 2 was carried over,
so find the number of times 4 goes into 21, not 1.

g
4 goes into 21 five times with 1 left over, so write 5 1 5 3
above the line and carry the 1 over to the next column. 4 6 21 14 28
3. In the next column, 4 goes into 14 three times with
2 left over, so write 3 above the line and carry the 2
g
1 5 3 7
to the next column.
4 6 21 14 28
4. Finally, 4 goes into 28 seven times with nothing
left over, so write 7 above the line. So 6148 ÷ 4 = 1537

Long division is similar to short division, but uses written subtraction to find
remainders (the “left over” numbers) instead of carrying digits across.

Example 7

Work out 385 ÷ 16.

16 g 3 8 5
02
1. 16 does not go into 3, so write 0 above the line
and look at the first two digits instead, 38. – 32
6
2. 16 × 2 = 32 but 16 × 3 = 48, so 16 goes into 38 twice.
Write 2 above the line at the top, then write 32
16g 3 8 5
02
underneath 38 and subtract. This gives a difference of 6.
– 32
3. Instead of carrying the remainder over to the next
65
column, bring the digit in the next column down.

Section 1 Non-Calculator Arithmetic 11