Subject: Re: [HM] European or South American Long division?
From: Floor van Lamoen (f.v.lamoen@wxs.nl)
Date: Wed Jun 14 2000 - 10:31:00 EDT
> Date: 9 Jun 00 03:39:37 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Pat Ballew <pat_ballew@pac.odedodea.edu>
> Subject: [HM] European or South American Long division?
>
> I hope some one here can be of assistance, I received the request
> below on a Teacher support service and have no idea of a "different"
> algorithm or how one might have come to be. Any help is appreciated.
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> I have noticed that people from europe and south america use a
> different method of long division. how does it work? what is the
> origin of both methods? could one be best for some learners?
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Thanks for any information you can provide..
>
> Pat Ballew,
> Misawa, Jp
Hi, Pat,
I don't believe that in Europe and South America a "different" (from the
USuAl) algorithm is used. I do know that here, I live and teach in the
Netherlands, we write down a long division in a different way. The
division of 162318 by 78 is written down as:
78 / 162318 \ 2081
156
---
631
624
---
78
78
--
0
Something else:
I have read about experiments of teaching long division in primary
schools in a more flexible and less algorithmic approach. This method
can be more like the way you calculate divisions by head. I don't know
whether this method has made it or is making it to more general use in
class, since I teach in secondary school only. Here is an example of a
division in this method:
Divide 1776 by 12.
12
1776
1200 100x
----
576
600 50x
---
-24
-12 -1x
---
-12
-12 -1x
--- ------ +
0 148
Of course this method is meant to let pupils start with any approach,
and let them gain better strategies. For instance, I used negative
numbers here, while when you start explaining this for the first couple
of times you shouldn't. More gifted children could use them later on to
improve their _speed_.
The _oldfashioned_ long division is more like a computer algorithm,
while in this method pupils might learn to have more 'feeling' for
numbers.
Kind regards,
Floor van Lamoen,
Goes, the Netherlands.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Wed Jun 14 2000 - 10:37:49 EDT