Short division
Divide numbers up to four digits by a one-digit number using short division (and place-value/array strategies); interpret remainders appropriately for the context
What a learner can do afterwards
- Calculate 4,932 ÷ 6 using short division
- Solve 125 ÷ 8 and interpret: 15 remainder 5 means 15 full bags with 5 left over
- Use the relationship between multiplication and division to check a division answer
1 · Read
Sharing a bag of sweets fairly between friends means dividing a big number by a small one. You already know your times tables and how to find a missing factor. Short division uses those same facts to divide big numbers, one digit at a time, working from left to right.
Look at 4,932 divided by 6. Start on the left: 4 divided by 6 doesn't work, so carry the 4 to make 49. 49 divided by 6 = 8 remainder 1. Carry the 1 to make 13. 13 divided by 6 = 2 remainder 1. Carry the 1 to make 12. 12 divided by 6 = 2 exactly. Read the answers across: 822.
125 party favors are packed into bags of 8. 125 divided by 8 = 15 remainder 5. That means 15 full bags, with 5 favors left over. Those 5 don't make a whole bag, so they get handed out separately instead. If nothing may be left unpacked, those 5 need one more bag of their own.
Check any division by multiplying back. Multiply your answer by the number you divided by, then add the remainder. You should land back on the number you started with. For 125 divided by 8: 15 × 8 + 5 = 125.
Short division works one digit at a time from left to right, and a remainder tells you what's left over after the full groups are done.
All 7 extra questions are original to this dataset.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
15 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.