Division
The different numbers in a division problem also have special names. The numbers in the problem are the dividend or the divisor. The answer for a division problem is the quotient.
Remember, there are three ways to write division problems.
For example:
21 ÷ 3 = 7
7 = 21 ÷ 3
7
3⟌21
The dividend is 21. The divisor is 3. The number 7 is the quotient.
Video
Watch this 1:58 video Parts of a Division Problem by Alyson Gerstner. Oct. 30, 2024.
Be sure to listen for the word “into” for the definition of the divisor.
There are times when we want to talk about the quotient first. Yes, the word quotient uses the phrase “the quotient of”.
For example:
21 ÷ 3 = 7
7 = 21 ÷ 3
7
3⟌21
This problem, no matter how it’s written, can be said as, “The quotient of 21 divided by 3 is 7”.
The dividend is the first number, and the divisor is the second number in the sentence above.
Your Turn — Practice with the division phrase “the quotient of”
Remember the division sign phrase “divided into”? The dividend and divisor are reversed.
When we want to read the problem below in the long division symbol from left to right, we must use the phrase “divide into”.
7
3⟌21 can be said as, “the quotient of 3 divided into 21 is 7”.
Your Turn — Practice using the division phrase “the quotient of” with “divided into”
