Division starts from left - why?
Name: Salil Dave
Question: You could start division on the right but the procedure (algorithm) we usually use, that starts from the left, is more efficient. For example if I want to divide 5876 by 276 using our normal algorithm, the way I learned it, I would write: ![]() This procedure has two steps. First you see that 276 divides into 5876 twenty times with a remainder of 356. Secondly 276 divides into 356 once with a remainder of 80. Thus, in total, 276 divides into 5876 twenty-one times with a remainder of 80. Working from the right would be repeated subtraction. ![]() Repeat subtracting 276 until the remainder is less than 276. We know from the above that we can do that twenty-one times and end with a remainder of 80. The advantage of the algorithm that works from the left is that in one step you see that 276 divides into 5876 at least twenty times. I hope this helps,Harley
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