What the actual fork have they done to maths?!

[SimonMac]

My son is in Year 6 and I think in old money it would be called long division but I have just been shown "the bus stop method" and although it works, it just seems crazy!

[ladymuck]

I have always been rubbish at long division. How does this method work?

[rik sherman]

Looks like it is just long division but skipping the part where you show your workings so relies on better mental arithmetic.

[darmstadt]

I have always been rubbish at long division. How does this method work?

You tap the person in front of you in the queue and ask them to do it...

[vetran]

The bus stop method seems to be just long division with carry (or something like that) that I learnt decades ago.

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/bus-stop-method

This one is popular and new. I was taught it by a trainee teacher last year.

Japanese multiplication method


Of the Japanese method I thought well that is interesting and my youngest understood it.

[NickFitz]

According to Twinkl, that method is “short division”:

This method is also known as short division. Once children have mastered this, they can move on to long division.

[SimonMac]

I have always been rubbish at long division. How does this method work?

As explained to me, you find the biggest number that can be divided by the divisor, sub tract that from the total and keep going, so the question we have just done.

8729 / 7


subtract 7707 (1101 * 7)

1022

subtract 700 (100 * 7)

322

subtract 210 (30 * 7

122

subtract 70 (10 * 7)

42

subtract 42 (6 * 7)

1101 + 100 + 30 + 10 + 6 = 1247

Which gives the right answer

[jamesbrown]

I follow the scootie contrarian method of long multiplication.

[Whorty]

As explained to me, you find the biggest number that can be divided by the divisor, sub tract that from the total and keep going, so the question we have just done.

8729 / 7


subtract 7707 (1101 * 7)

1022

subtract 700 (100 * 7)

322

subtract 210 (30 * 7

122

subtract 70 (10 * 7)

42

subtract 42 (6 * 7)

1101 + 100 + 30 + 10 + 6 = 1247

Which gives the right answer

Interesting .... seems an overly complicated way of doing long division.

Sometimes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it

And where's the graph, or it didn't happen

[malvolio]

As explained to me, you find the biggest number that can be divided by the divisor, sub tract that from the total and keep going, so the question we have just done.

8729 / 7


subtract 7707 (1101 * 7)

1022

subtract 700 (100 * 7)

322

subtract 210 (30 * 7

122

subtract 70 (10 * 7)

42

subtract 42 (6 * 7)

1101 + 100 + 30 + 10 + 6 = 1247

Which gives the right answer

That's not long division, just division.

Long division is 9829 / 71 - or when both numbers in the sum are more than one digit long and usually more (or greater than the highest multiplication table you already know). Same technique though, just takes a bit longer