Divide digit by digit
96 / 3 can be seen as 9 tens and 6 ones shared into 3 groups.
Work from the largest place to the smallest.
Year 5
Divide numbers up to 4 digits by a one-digit number using the formal written method of short division and interpret remainders appropriately
Use short division carefully and interpret remainders in context.
Lesson overview
Number - multiplication and division
Short division works digit by digit from left to right. At each place we divide, record the quotient, and carry any remainder into the next place. In context, the remainder may need to be kept, shared, rounded up or ignored.
Carry the remainder
If 14 hundreds are divided by 6, the extra part moves into the tens.
2 hundreds each, remainder 2 hundreds
carry into tens
The remainder is not lost. It moves into the next place.
Interpret the remainder
23 cakes packed into boxes of 4 gives 5 remainder 3, so 6 boxes are needed.
The context tells us what to do with the remainder.
Worked example
Calculate 972 / 3.
- 9 hundreds divided by 3 gives 3 hundreds.
- 7 tens divided by 3 gives 2 tens and 1 ten remainder.
- Carry the 1 ten to make 12 ones.
- 12 ones divided by 3 gives 4 ones, so the answer is 324.
Round 1: Learn it
Divide one place at a time and keep track of any remainder.
Finish this round to unlock Round 2: Show you know it.
Question 1
Calculate 972 / 3.
Question 2
What is 84 / 4?
Question 3
What is 23 / 4?
Question 4
How many boxes are needed for 23 cakes if each box holds 4 cakes?
Question 5
Which answer matches 645 / 5?
Common mistakes
Watch for these as you work through the lesson.
- Skipping a place in the quotient.
- Forgetting to carry the remainder into the next place.
- Using the remainder in the wrong way for the context.
Related topics
These ideas connect closely to this lesson.
- Multiply numbers up to 4 digits by a one- or two-digit number using a formal written method, including long multiplication for two-digit numbers.
- Solve problems involving multiplication and division, including scaling and correspondence problems.