Division with remainders, step by step

Division with remainders is where a child learns that not everything shares out evenly.

The question

59 ÷ 5

11 559 5954
  1. 59 shared into groups of 5. Long division starts at the LEFT — the other way round from adding.
  2. Start at the left. How many 5s fit into 5? 1 of them — write the 1 on top. 1 × 5 = 5, and 5 − 5 leaves 0. Bring down the 9, which makes 9.
  3. How many 5s fit into 9? 1 — write it on top. 1 × 5 = 5, and 9 − 5 leaves 4.
  4. Nothing is left to bring down, and 4 is too small to divide again — so that is the remainder. 59 ÷ 5 = 11 remainder 4.

How it works.

  1. 01

    59 shared into groups of 5. Long division starts at the LEFT — the other way round from adding.

  2. 02

    Start at the left. How many 5s fit into 5? 1 of them — write the 1 on top. 1 × 5 = 5, and 5 − 5 leaves 0. Bring down the 9, which makes 9.

  3. 03

    How many 5s fit into 9? 1 — write it on top. 1 × 5 = 5, and 9 − 5 leaves 4.

  4. 04

    Nothing is left to bring down, and 4 is too small to divide again — so that is the remainder. 59 ÷ 5 = 11 remainder 4.