Lesson 65: Division with Two-Digit Answers, Part 2

New Concept

The numbers in a division problem are named the divisor, the dividend, and the quotient.

What’s next

Next, you’ll apply these terms to solve division problems, like finding the average distance on a bike trip, and check your answers.

In the problem $81 \div 9 = 9$, the dividend is 81, the divisor is 9, and the quotient is 9. For $6 \overline{)42}$, the number 6 is the divisor and 42 is the dividend. In the fraction $\frac{50}{10} = 5$, the number 5 is the quotient.

Think of it like sharing a pizza! The dividend is the whole pizza. The divisor is the number of friends you are sharing it with. The quotient is the number of slices each friend gets. It is a delicious way to remember the parts of division!

To perform long division, tackle the problem one piece at a time from left to right. First, divide the initial digits of the dividend by the divisor. Write that result above the line, then multiply, subtract, and bring down the next digit from the dividend. Repeat these steps until you have no more numbers to bring down for a final answer.

To solve $5 \overline{)175}$: First, divide 17 by 5 to get 3. Write 3 above the 7. Multiply $3 \times 5 = 15$. Subtract $17 - 15 = 2$. Next, bring down the 5 to make 22. Divide 25 by 5 to get 5. Write 5 above the 5. Your final answer is 35.

Long division looks scary, but it is just a simple pattern: Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring Down. Just keep repeating this dance routine for each digit in your big number, and you will solve the problem step-by-step before you know it. It turns a marathon into a few easy sprints!