Can you do long division?

[Noperope]

Attempting to help dd with her 11plus homework and feeling more and more stupid by the minute. Could you work out 324 divided by 4 with only pen and paper? No cheating and you must show your work, not just write the answer!

https://whiteroseeducation.com/parent-pupil-resources/maths/home-learning?year=year-6-new
there are videos here (y6 unit 2) which explain long division really clearly 🙂

Here's the image!

324
÷4

4 = 1
Carry 100 to make 120
= 30
200 left
4 goes into 20 5 times, so into 200 50 times
Totals 81

Or use a calculator

I don't think I've ever used long division in my life - and I've used a lot of maths in my life at work

But I can estimate well

So...can anyone explain the usefulness of the written long division calculation in maths education?

It helps develop the brains understanding of numbers and patterns. The more people do the easier it becomes.

No. Short division is when you are dividing by any number up to, and including 12. Long division is dividing by any number larger than 12.

Or 324÷7

Carry 1 to make 14 = 2
Carry 2 to make 210= 30
100 left, 70 is 10
30 left, 28 is 4, remainder 2.
So 46 r 2

But lots of maths does that.

I couldn't do long division at primary school. I really struggled to get it - I was just shown a method without much explanation. I never had to do it at secondary school. I don't think it's tested at GCSE level.

But I use maths everyday - and have Maths A Level.

Why 12? You can do short division with any number as long as you can do the maths.

It's just tables.

(I have seen people try to do short division when dividing by 10, which is interesting)

Yeah thanks, just seen the update.

That's how we were taught at school, I don't know if it's still taught that way though...

Yes, 2 different methods - I have vague memories of using the long method first then graduated to the short method

Yes,
but if it is a bar bill I'll be in the toilet,
or possibly even out the window.😳

@cakeorwine It's primary school so children don't use calculators. They need to have a general sense of number so need to work things out rather than just tap it into a calculator or ask Alexa.

The more maths you do and practice at, the better you get at it.

I love long division. It's one of the most satisfying things to complete. It's beautiful all set out neatly on the page of a maths exercise book. This is what I tell year 6. It's all about the positive mindset.

I think it's much more useful to have an estimation skill - so being able to know when something seems right or wrong.

Long division to me (the written method) has always seemed pointless.

That said, I do love a good here's an equation of a circle, here's a straight line equation, where do they intercept kind of question.

I'm a maths teacher so would be worried if I couldn't - It is fairly basic primary school maths!

Yes but I would do it the old fashioned way, so 7 into 32 goes 4 which is 28 so 4 left over, so then 7 into 44 goes 6 which is 42 and 2 left over, so the answer is 46 Remainder 2.

What about chunking?

1895 / 17

So you know 17 x 100 = 1700

1895 - 1700 = 195
17 * 10 = 170

So you have 25 left

1 x 17 = 17 and you have 8 left

100 + 10 + 1 = 111

So 1895 / 17 = 111 r 8

That's a much more logical way to do long division - as it's easier to see why you get the answer

Yes, very simple

I’m going to utterly shame myself but here is my offering (I am ancient)

That is true but generally people only learn tables up to 12 so you would be doing long division for numbers higher than that.

Yes no problem

We learn lots of things that are not necessarily useful day to day. Children learn to write stories, add fractions, make clay pots, act out the nativity ... individually they could all be thought of as quite pointless.

Yes - but only as I had to re teach myself to help with primary school homework ( kids now doing GCSEs)

Bottom one is bus stop method