LONG DIVISION

Parts of Long Division

While performing long division, we need to know the important parts of long division.
The basic parts of long division can be listed as follows:

 Dividend
 Divisor
 Quotient
 Remainder

The following table describes the parts of long division with reference to the example
shown above.

Dividend The number which has to be divided. 75

Divisor The number which divides the dividend. 4

Quotient The result of division. 18

Remainde The leftover part or the number left after the division
3
r which cannot be divided further.

How to do Long Division?

Division is one of the four basic mathematical operations, the other three
being addition, subtraction, and multiplication. In arithmetic, long division is a standard
division algorithm for dividing large numbers, breaking down a division problem into a
series of easier steps. Let us learn about the steps that are followed in long division.

Long Division Steps

In order to perform division, we need to understand a few steps. The divisor is

separated from the dividend by a right parenthesis 〈)〉 or vertical bar 〈|〉 and the dividend
is separated from the quotient by a vinculum (an overbar). Now, let us follow the long
division steps given below to understand the process.

 Step 1: Take the first digit of the dividend from the left. Check if this digit is greater than or
equal to the divisor.
 Step 2: Then divide it by the divisor and write the answer on top as the quotient.
 Step 3: Subtract the result from the digit and write the difference below.
 Step 4: Bring down the next digit of the dividend (if present).
 Step 5: Repeat the same process.
Let us have a look at the examples given below for a better understanding of the
concept. While performing long division, we may come across problems when there is
no remainder, while some questions have remainders. So, first, let us learn division in
which we get remainders.

Division with Remainders

Case 1: When the first digit of the dividend is equal to or greater than the divisor.

Example: Divide 435 ÷ 4

Solution: The steps of this long division are given below:

 Step 1: Here, the first digit of the dividend is 4 and it is equal to the divisor. So, 4 ÷ 4 = 1.
So, 1 is written on top as the first digit of the quotient.
 Step 2: Subtract 4 - 4 = 0. Bring the second digit of the dividend down and place it beside 0.
 Step 3: Now, 3 < 4. Hence, we write 0 as the quotient and bring down the next digit of the
dividend and place it beside 3.
 Step 4: So, we have 35 as the new dividend. We can see that 35 > 4 but 35 is not divisible by
4, so we look for the number just less than 35 in the table of 4. We know that 4 × 8 = 32
which is less than 35 so, we go for it.
 Step 5: Write 8 in the quotient. Subtract: 35 - 32 = 3.
 Step 6: Now, 3 < 4. Thus, 3 is the remainder and 108 is the quotient.
Case 2: When the first digit of the dividend is less than the divisor.

Example: Divide 735 ÷ 9

Solution: Let us divide this using the following steps.

 Step 1: Since the first digit of the dividend is less than the divisor, put zero as the quotient
and bring down the next digit of the dividend. Now consider the first 2 digits to proceed with
the division.
 Step 2: 73 is not divisible by 9 but we know that 9 × 8 = 72 so, we go for it.
 Step 3: Write 8 in the quotient and subtract 73 - 72 = 1.
 Step 4: Bring down 5. The number to be considered now is 15.
 Step 5: Since 15 is not divisible by 9 but we know that 9 × 1 = 9, so, we take 9.
 Step 6: Subtract: 15 - 9 = 6. Write 1 in the quotient.
 Step 7: Now, 6 < 9. Thus, remainder = 6 and quotient = 81.
Case 3: This is a case of long division without a remainder.

Division without Remainder

Example: Divide 900 ÷ 5

Solution: Let us see how to divide step by step.

 Step 1: We will consider the first digit of the dividend and divide it by 5. Here it will be 9 ÷
5.
 Step 2: Now, 9 is not divisible by 5 but 5 × 1 = 5, so, write 1 as the first digit in the quotient.
 Step 3: Write 5 below 9 and subtract 9 - 5 = 4.
 Step 4: Since 4 < 5, we will bring down 0 from the dividend to make it 40.
 Step 5: 40 is divisible by 5 and we know that 5 × 8 = 40, so, write 8 in the quotient.
 Step 6: Write 40 below 40 and subtract 40 - 40 = 0.
 Step 7: Bring down the next 0 from the dividend. Since 5 × 0 = 0, we write 0 as the
remaining quotient.
 Step 9: Therefore, the quotient = 180 and there is no remainder left after the division, that is,
remainder = 0.

Long division problems also include problems related to long division by a 2 digit
number, long division polynomials and long division with decimals. Let us get an an idea
about these in the following sections.

Long Division by a 2 Digit Number

Long division by a 2 digit number means dividing a number by a 2-digit number.

For long division by a 2 digit number, we consider both the digits of the divisor and
check for the divisibility of the first two digits of the dividend.
For example, if we need to divide 7248 by 24, we can do it using the long division steps.
Let us see how to divide step by step.

 Step 1: Since it is a long division by a 2 digit number, we will check for the divisibility of
the first two digits of the dividend. The first 2 digits of the dividend are 72 and it is greater
than the divisor, so, we will proceed with the division.
 Step 2: Using the multiplication table of 24, we know that 24 × 3 = 72. So we write 3 in the
quotient and 72 below the dividend to subtract these. Subtract 72 - 72 = 0.
 Step 3: Bring down the next number from the dividend, that is, 4. The number to be
considered now is 4.
 Step 4: Since 4 is smaller than 24, we will put 0 as the next quotient, since 24 × 0 = 0 and
write 0 below 4 to subtract 4 - 0 = 4
 Step 5: Bring down the next number from the dividend, that is, 8 and place it next to this 4.
The number to be considered now is 48.
 Step 6: Using the multiplication table of 24, we know that 24 × 2 = 48. So we write 2 in the
quotient and 48 below the dividend to subtract these. Subtract 48 - 48 = 0. Thus, remainder =
0 and quotient = 302. This means, 7248 ÷ 24 = 302.
Long Division of Polynomials

When there are no common factors between the numerator and the denominator, or if
you can't find the factors, you can use the long division process to simplify the
expression. For more details about long division polynomials, visit the Dividing
Polynomials page.

Long Division with Decimals

Long division with decimals can be easily done just like the normal division. We just
need to keep in mind the decimals and keep copying them as they come. For more
details about long division with decimals, visit the Dividing Decimals page.

How to Divide Decimals by Whole Numbers?

When we need to divide decimals by whole numbers, we follow the same procedure of
long division and place the decimal in the quotient whenever it comes. Let us
understand this with the help of an example.

Example: Divide 36.9 ÷ 3

Solution: Let us see how to divide step by step.

 Step 1: Here, the first digit of the dividend is 3 and it is equal to the divisor. So, 3 ÷ 3 = 1.
So, 1 is written on top as the first digit of the quotient and we write the product 3 below the
dividend 3.
 Step 2: Subtract 3 - 3 = 0. Bring the second digit of the dividend down and place it beside 0,
that is, 6
 Step 3: Using the multiplication table of 3, we know that 3 × 2 = 6. So we write 2 in the
quotient and 6 below the dividend to subtract these. Subtract 6 - 6 = 0.
 Step 4: Now comes the decimal point in the dividend. So, place a decimal in the quotient
after 12 and continue with the normal division.
 Step 5: Bring down the next number from the dividend, that is, 9. The number to be
considered now is 9.
 Step 6: Using the multiplication table of 3, we know that 3 × 3 = 9. So we write 3 in the
quotient and 9 below the dividend to subtract these. Subtract 9 - 9 = 0. Thus, remainder = 0
and quotient = 12.3. This means, 36.9 ÷ 3 = 12.3

Long Division Tips and Tricks:

Given below are a few important tips and tricks that would help you while working with
long division:

 The remainder is always smaller than the divisor.

 For division, the divisor cannot be 0.
 The division is repeated subtraction, so we can check our quotient by repeated subtractions
as well.
 We can verify the quotient and the remainder of the division using the division formula:
Dividend = (Divisor × Quotient) + Remainder.
 If the remainder is 0, then we can check our quotient by multiplying it with the divisor. If the
product is equal to the dividend, then the quotient is correct.