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Grade 6 · Maths · Lessons
Long division, the school way
➗divide📦boxes🔢guess✅check
Long division.
The big ideaGuess, multiply, take away, bring down. Do it again.

How it works

Guess, multiply, take away, bring down. Do it again.

A remainder is what is left over. You can also keep going into decimals.

Check by multiplying back and adding the remainder.

GuessMultiplyTake awayBring downand around again
A division loop.

Example 1: Exact

  1. A bakery packs 8,760 muffins into boxes of 40. How many full boxes? How many left?
  2. 8760 ÷ 40: guess, multiply, take away, bring down.
  3. 40 × 219 = 8760, so nothing is left.
  4. So the answer is 219 r 0.

Example 2: A big divisor

  1. A shop packs 254,195 screws into tubs of 287. How many full tubs? How many left?
  2. 287 × 885 = 253995.
  3. 254195 − 253995 = 200, so 200 is left.
  4. So the answer is 885 r 200.

Example 3: A decimal answer

  1. A 1,026 metre cable is cut into 12 equal pieces. Give one decimal place. How long is each piece?
  2. 1026 ÷ 12 doesn't come out even.
  3. Keep going into tenths: 85.5.
  4. So the answer is 85.5.

Words to know

dividend
The number being divided.
remainder
What is left over.

Watch out

Try it

  1. A shop packs 67,397 screws into tubs of 921. How many full tubs? How many left?
  2. A shop packs 45,250 screws into tubs of 125. How many full tubs? How many left?
  3. A shop packs 44,617 screws into tubs of 939. How many full tubs? How many left?
Answers: 1. 73 r 164 · 2. 362 r 0 · 3. 47 r 484
For grown-upsEstimate 8760 ÷ 40 as 8800 ÷ 40 = 220 to check the answer.
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