Exam Guide Online

Division with Not-so-easy Dividends


[Dividend’s ten digit is not divisible by divisor]
For problems such as 72 ÷ 3, split the dividend into two numbers that add up to 72 and are both easily divisible by 3. For example, it can be split into 60 + 12, 30 + 42, 36 + 36, etc. However, it is often better to divide the number into a large divisible tens number [such as 60 in this case] so that the second part will be smaller and easy to divide. 72 ÷ 3 = [60 ÷ 3] + [12 ÷3] = 20 + 4 = 24
Practice 1:
96 ÷ 4
96 = 80 + 16
80 ÷ 4 = (20)
16 ÷ 4 = (4)
(20) + (4) = (24)
[There are many suitable numbers that could have been used in place of 80 and 16, but these are the easiest.]
Practice 2:
56 ÷ 2
56 = 50 + (6)
50 ÷ (2) = (25)
(6) ÷ (2) = (3)
(25) + (3) = (28)

Solve Mentally:
1. 54 ÷ 2
2. 65 ÷ 5
3. 84 ÷ 3
4. 72 ÷ 6
5. 91 ÷ 7
6. 85 ÷ 5