Long Division Calculator
Long division written out step by step, in the US/UK or Indian layout.
Answer
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Step by step
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About the Long Division Calculator
Enter a dividend and a divisor to see the long division written out in full — divisor, bracket, quotient on top and every multiply, subtract and bring-down below — together with a sentence explaining each step. You can choose the US/UK layout with the bracket, or the Indian layout written as divisor ) dividend ( quotient.
Ask for a quotient with a remainder (141 ÷ 6 = 23 R 3), or a decimal answer to the number of places you need, rounded correctly. If the digits repeat, the tool says which block repeats forever (1 ÷ 6 = 0.1666…). Decimal divisors are handled the way teachers show it: both decimal points move until the divisor is a whole number. Every answer ends with a check — divisor × quotient + remainder = dividend.
How to use it
- Type the dividend (the number being divided) and the divisor (the number you divide by). You can also type both at once in the first box, such as
141 ÷ 6. - Choose Remainder for a whole-number answer with a remainder, or Decimal and the number of decimal places.
- Pick the written layout you were taught: US / UK or Indian.
- Read the layout and the numbered steps. Point at or tap a step to highlight its rows. Copy working copies the steps as text; Print prints the layout and steps.
Examples
141 ÷ 6
23 R 3
6 goes into 14 twice (12), leaving 2; bring down the 1 to make 21; 6 goes into 21 three times (18), leaving 3. Check: 6 × 23 + 3 = 141.
141 ÷ 6, decimal
23.5
After the 3, bring down a 0 after the decimal point: 30 ÷ 6 = 5 exactly.
1 ÷ 6 to 3 places
≈ 0.167 (exactly 0.1666…, the 6 repeats)
14.1 ÷ 0.6
23.5
Multiply both numbers by 10 so the divisor is whole: 141 ÷ 6.
Common uses
- Checking long-division homework one step at a time.
- Showing a child where each digit of the answer comes from.
- Working out a division by hand-style method when you need the remainder, not a decimal.
The method
- Find the first part of the dividend that the divisor goes into (for 141 ÷ 6, that is 14).
- Divide: how many times does the divisor go into it? Write that digit in the quotient (6 goes into 14 twice).
- Multiply the digit by the divisor and write the product underneath (2 × 6 = 12).
- Subtract (14 − 12 = 2). The result must be smaller than the divisor.
- Bring down the next digit of the dividend beside it (21) and repeat from step 2.
- When no digits are left, what remains is the remainder — or, for a decimal answer, write a decimal point and keep bringing down zeros.
US/UK and Indian layouts
In the US and UK layout the divisor sits to the left of a bracket, the dividend under a line, and the quotient above the line, each digit directly over the digit of the dividend it came from. In the layout taught in Indian schools the same working is written as divisor ) dividend ( quotient, with the quotient on the right. The subtraction steps underneath are the same in both.
Decimals, rounding and repeating digits
To divide by a decimal, multiply both numbers by 10, 100, … until the divisor is a whole number; the answer does not change (14.1 ÷ 0.6 = 141 ÷ 6). For a decimal answer to N places the division is carried one place further and the answer is rounded half up from that extra digit. A remainder that comes back means the digits repeat forever: in 1 ÷ 6 the remainder 4 returns at every step, so the 6 repeats.
Limitations
- The dividend can have up to 30 digits and the divisor up to 12; decimal answers go up to 20 places.
- A remainder answer needs whole numbers once the decimal points have been moved; use a decimal answer otherwise.
- For negative numbers the division is done on the sizes and the sign is applied to the result, so −141 ÷ 6 is shown as −(23 R 3).
Privacy
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Frequently asked questions
How do you do long division?
Repeat four steps: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down. Divide the current part of the dividend by the divisor, multiply the digit you wrote by the divisor, subtract, then bring down the next digit and repeat until no digits are left.
What is a remainder?
It is the amount left over when the divisor does not go in exactly. 141 ÷ 6 = 23 R 3 because 6 × 23 = 138 and 141 − 138 = 3. The remainder is always smaller than the divisor. As a fraction, 23 R 3 is 23 3/6 = 23 1/2.
How do I divide by a decimal?
Move the decimal point in the divisor to the right until it is a whole number, and move the point in the dividend the same number of places (adding zeros if needed). 3 ÷ 0.125 becomes 3000 ÷ 125 = 24.
Why does my answer repeat?
When a remainder you have already seen comes back, every step after it repeats too, so the digits repeat forever. This happens whenever the divisor (in lowest terms with the dividend) has a prime factor other than 2 or 5, as in 1 ÷ 3 = 0.333… or 1 ÷ 7 = 0.142857142857….
Where does the decimal point go in the answer?
Directly above the decimal point in the dividend (after any shifting for a decimal divisor). If the dividend is a whole number, the point goes after its last digit, and you continue by bringing down zeros.