Division

Maths: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 5.2.2

Division Using the Bus Stop Method

You can use the bus stop method to work out a division.

Bus stop set up

Bus stop set up

I want to work out 2,544 ÷ 12.
I set up my 'bus stop' as you can see above.

Start with the 'thousands'

Start with the 'thousands'

Start working from the biggest place value column.
This is different from methods of addition, subtraction and multiplication where you start with the 'ones'.

2,544 &div; 12

2,544 ÷ 12

For 2,544 ÷ 12, start with the 'thousands'.
Work out how many 12s there are in 2.
There are zero 12s in 2.
The zero goes on top of the bus stop in the 'thousands' column.
You need to carry the 2 onto the 'hundreds' column.

Then onto the 'hundreds'

Then onto the 'hundreds'

Work out how many 12s there are in 25.
You work out how many 12s there are in 25 (and not 5) because the 2 has carried from the 'thousands' column.
There are two 12s in 25 with 1 remainder.
The 2 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'hundreds' column.
The remainder 1 carries onto the 'tens' column.

Then onto the 'tens'

Then onto the 'tens'

Work out how many 12s there are in 14.
You work out how many 12s there are in 14 (and not 4) because the 1 has carried from the 'hundreds' column.
There is one 12 in 14 with a remainder of two.
The 1 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'tens' column.
The remainder 2 carries onto the 'ones' column.

Finally, onto the 'ones'

Finally, onto the 'ones'

Work out how many 12s there are in 24.
You work out how many 12s there are in 24 (and not 4) because the 2 has carried from the 'tens' column.
There are two 12s in 24 with no remainder.
The 2 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'ones' column.

Getting your answer

Getting your answer

The answer to 2,544 ÷ 12 is on top of the bus stop.

Division Using the Bus Stop Method with a Remainder

Bus stop set up

Bus stop set up

I want to work out 3,523 ÷ 3.
I set up my 'bus stop' as you can see above.

Start with the 'thousands'

Start with the 'thousands'

Start working from the biggest place value column.
This is different from methods of addition, subtraction and multiplication where you start with the 'ones'.

3,523 &div; 3

3,523 ÷ 3

For 3,523 ÷ 3, start with the 'thousands'.
Work out how many 3s there are in 3.
There is one 3 in 3 with no remainder.
The 1 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'thousands' column.

Then onto the 'hundreds'

Then onto the 'hundreds'

Work out how many 3s there are in 5.
There is one 3 in 5 with 2 remainder.
The 1 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'hundreds' column.
The remainder 2 carries onto the 'tens' column.

Then onto the 'tens'

Then onto the 'tens'

Work out how many 3s there are in 22.
You work out how many 3s there are in 22 (and not 2) because the 2 has carried from the 'hundreds' column.
There are seven 3s in 22 with 1 remainder.
The 7 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'tens' column.
The remainder 1 carries onto the 'ones' column.

Finally, onto the 'ones'

Finally, onto the 'ones'

Work out how many 3s there are in 13.
You work out how many 3s there are in 13 (and not 3) because the 1 has carried from the 'tens' column.
There are four 3s in 13 with 1 remainder.
The 4 goes on top of the bus stop in the 'ones' column.
There is 1 remainder at the end of the division.

The remainder

The remainder

You could show your remainder as a fraction.
The numerator (top number) of the fraction is the remainder.
The denominator (bottom number) of the fractions is what you are dividing by.

Getting your answer

Getting your answer

The answer to 3,523 ÷ 3 is on top of the bus stop.

Test yourself on Division

What is 11,232 ÷ 16?
You should use a pencil and paper to work out your answer.
What is 7,620 ÷ 12?
You should use a pencil and paper to work out your answer.
What is 7,124 ÷ 13?
You should use a pencil and paper to work out your answer.
What goes in the 'thousands' column in the answer?
What carries onto the 'hundreds' column?

Practise this topic for free