WorkedMathGlossary

Long Division Calculator

Enter a dividend and divisor below to instantly get the quotient, remainder, and the full step-by-step work.

How Long Division Works

Long division breaks a big division problem into a repeated sequence of small steps: bring down a digit, divide, multiply, and subtract. The calculator above traces every one of those steps for your own numbers.

Worked example

Divide 847 by 5.

8 ÷ 5 = 1 remainder 3

34 ÷ 5 = 6 remainder 4

47 ÷ 5 = 9 remainder 2

847 ÷ 5 = 169 remainder 2

Frequently Asked Questions

How does long division work?

Long division processes the dividend one digit at a time. At each step, you bring down the next digit, figure out how many times the divisor fits into the current number, write that as the next quotient digit, and subtract to find what's left over before bringing down the next digit.

What if the divisor doesn't divide evenly?

Whatever is left over after the last digit is brought down is the remainder. You can also keep going past the decimal point (bringing down zeros) to get a decimal answer instead of a remainder.

Why show the steps instead of just the answer?

Long division is a process, not just a formula — seeing each bring-down, divide, and subtract step is how the method is actually taught, and it makes it possible to check exactly where a mistake happened in your own work.

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