How to Do Division Using Repeated Subtraction

A Step-by-step Guide to Doing Division Using Repeated Subtraction

Division using repeated subtraction is a basic mathematical concept that involves subtracting the divisor from the dividend repeatedly until you can’t subtract any more without getting a negative number. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Understand the Problem

If you have a problem like \(12÷4\), here 12 is your dividend (the number being divided) and 4 is your divisor (the number you are dividing by).

Step 2: Subtract the Divisor from the Dividend

Subtract the divisor from the dividend. In this example, subtract 4 from 12. You get 8.

Step 3: Keep Track of the Count

You have subtracted once. So, keep a count of 1.

Step 4: Repeat the Subtraction

Subtract the divisor from the remaining dividend. In this case, subtract 4 from 8 (the result of your previous subtraction). You get 4.

Step 5: Update the Count

You have subtracted once again. So, update your count from 1 to 2.

Step 6: Continue the Process

Keep repeating Steps 4 and 5 until you can’t subtract the divisor from the remaining dividend without getting a negative number. In this case, you can subtract 4 from 4 and get 0.

Step 7: Final Count is Your Answer

The final count represents the number of times you subtracted the divisor from the dividend. This is your answer. In this case, you subtracted 3 times, so \(12÷4=3\)

Step 8: Check for a Remainder

If you can’t subtract the divisor from the dividend anymore without getting a negative number and the remaining dividend is not zero, then the remaining dividend is your reminder. In this case, the remaining dividend is 0, so there’s no remainder.

Remember, the method of division using repeated subtraction works best for smaller numbers. For larger numbers, other methods such as long division or synthetic division may be more efficient.