Long Division

Long division helps you divide big numbers that are hard to do in your head. You follow steps to break the problem into smaller, easier pieces. It takes practice, but once you get it, you can divide any number.

The Steps

Long division has four steps that repeat: divide, multiply, subtract, and bring down. You work with one digit at a time. First, you see how many times the divisor fits into the first digits.

Then you multiply, write the answer underneath, and subtract. Finally, you bring down the next digit and do it all again. You keep going until there are no more digits to bring down.

Remainders

Sometimes a number does not divide evenly. The leftover part is called the remainder. If you divide 13 by 4, you get 3 with a remainder of 1.

Remainders can be written as R1, as a fraction like 1/4, or as a decimal. All three ways are correct.

Fun Facts

• Long division has been used for hundreds of years. It was common in Europe by the 1400s.
• The division symbol, a line with a dot above and below, was first used in 1659.
• Computers still use a form of long division when they process numbers.

Did You Know?

In some countries, long division is written differently. In parts of Europe and Latin America, the layout looks almost upside down compared to how it is done in the United States!