Division with remainders

Sometimes, it is not possible to divide one number by another exactly.

Anything left over that cannot be divided exactly is called a remainder.

When you are solving problems and there is a remainder, you need to know what to do with it.

Complete this interactive activity to learn about division with remainders. Then put your knowledge to the test.

When you divide, the numbers don't always divide exactly. Anything left over after dividing is called the remainder.

For example, look at this division calculation:

7 ÷ 2

If you divide 7 by 2, you can make 3 groups of 2, which equals 6. However, there is 1 left over.

You would write it like this:

7 ÷ 2 = 3 r1

The 'r1' shows there is one left over.

When solving problems with division, you have to decide what to do with the remainder.

Sometimes you have to round the answer up to the next number. Sometimes you round down.

Which action you take depends on the problem that you've been given.

Look at this question.

'How many pairs can you make out of seven socks?'

As a calculation, this would be:

7 ÷ 2 =

The answer would be 3. This is because you can't use the one left over sock, shown as the remainder, to make another pair!