The Remainder

What to do with leftovers?

Some division problems, like the one we just looked at, do not have remainders, but others do. A remainder is what is left over when the divisor doesn’t fit exactly into the dividend. Our next example has a remainder.

Remainder Example:

	See if 4 goes into 3. It does not, so find how many times 4 goes into 32. 4 x 8 = 32. Place 32 under 32 and 8 in the quotient above the 2. Subtract: 32 – 32 = 0
	Bring down the 9 next to the 0.
	Find how many times 4 goes into 9; 4 x 2 is 8, which is less than 9, so 4 fits into 9 two times. Place 8 under the 9 and 2 in the quotient above the 9.
	Subtract: 9 – 8 = 1. Write R1 in the quotient to show that there is a remainder of 1.

Note

When there is a remainder in the quotient, be sure that the remainder is LESS than the divisor. If it is greater than or equal to the divisor, a mistake has been made.