25 ÷ 4 is 6 remainder 1. But the answer to a question depends on what the question is.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Sometimes you round up
25 children in cars holding 4 need 7 cars. The last child still needs a seat.
Sometimes you ignore it
25 pounds buys books costing 4 pounds each. You can buy 6. The extra pound is not enough.
Sometimes the remainder is the answer
25 sweets shared among 4 leaves 1 over. That leftover is what was asked for.
Three different right answers
100 children need buses holding 30. That is 100 ÷ 30 = 3 r 10. How many buses? Four, because the last 10 children need one. How many buses are full? Three. How many are left without a full bus? Ten. Same division, three questions, three answers.
When you round up
If the remainder still needs to be carried, housed or transported, you round the quotient up. Buses, boxes, tables and pages usually work this way. Ignoring the remainder here leaves someone standing at the kerb.
When you drop it
If the question asks how many complete groups you can make — how many full boxes of 12 from 100 eggs — the remainder is discarded and the answer is 8. The leftover eggs exist but they do not make a box.
When the remainder is the answer
Sometimes the leftover is what was asked for: how many eggs are left over after filling the boxes? Four. Read the question carefully enough to know which of the three answers it wants, because the arithmetic is identical in all three cases.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Tap and try it out.
6 × 4 = 24
6 rows of 4 makes 24.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Leo Answer Three Ways
Leo has 25 ÷ 4 = 6 remainder 1, and three different questions.
- Step 1
"How many cars for 25 children?" The last child needs one, so 7.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Minibuses
Problem 1 of 3
30 children travel in minibuses holding 8 each. How many minibuses are needed?
minibuses
The Shopping
Problem 2 of 3
30 pounds buys notebooks costing 8 pounds. How many can you buy?
notebooks
The Leftover
Problem 3 of 3
30 sweets shared among 8 children. How many are left over?
left over
What Does the Remainder Mean?
1 of 3
20 children, cars hold 6. How many cars are needed?
2 of 3
20 pounds, items cost 6. How many can you buy?
3 of 3
20 shared among 6. How many are left over?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
35 children, buses hold 9. How many buses?
Question 2 of 2
What decides what to do with a remainder?
What You Learned
- One division can give three different right answers.
- Sometimes round up, sometimes ignore it, sometimes report it.
- The question decides, not the arithmetic.