How to Do Long-Term Division in Your Head

You can perform division in your head.

Division is the opposite of multiplying. If you can multiply, you can do division in your head. Division is the process of finding how many times a number is contained in another number. Completing a division problem in your head can be a bit of a challenge. However, allow yourself to concentrate and follow straightforward steps to accurately tackle and solve a long-term division problem in your head.

Instructions

1. Do a long-term division problem that divides evenly. For example, 1827/9.

2. Arrange the division problem in your head just as you would on paper.

3. Divide the dividend (1827) by the divisor (9). Examine the first number in the dividend. Because the first number in the dividend (1) is smaller than the divisor it can't be divided by 9 to produce a whole number.

4. Take the first two digits of the dividend (18) and determine how many 9s it contains. In this case 18 holds two nines (2*9=18). Place the 2 above the division bracket.

5. Multiply the 2 by 9 and place the result (18) below the 18 of the dividend.

6. Draw a line under the 18 and subtract it from 18 (18-18=0). Place the zero above the division bracket to the right of the 2.

7. Examine the third number in the dividend (2). Because this number is smaller than the divisor look at the next number to make it a whole, which would result in 27. Take the last two digits of the dividend (27) and determine how many 9s it contains. In this case 27 holds three nines (3*9=27). Place the 3 above the division bracket to the right of the 0. You now have your quotient, which is 203.

Tips & Warnings

• To make sure your answer is right, multiply the quotient by the divisor and this will give you the dividend.

References

• Division
• Dividing A 4-Digit by 2-Digit Numbers