video of doing division (europe vs usa)

[trying my best]

I dont want this tread be a something to argue about. Both ways are correct and we get comfortable what we learned and we need to adopt (if we have to) to news ways. In my case I will teach my son American way because i have to and I will adopt to it myself. When he is good at it I most likely to show him my way just for fun and see what he thinks.

This is really my first time looking into division that is done differently and whole outlook on how it is presented in usa. Again, both ways are correct but to a new eye the change IS confusing.

 

The least thing I want is to start a thread to argue about. :) Just remember this video is from a person who JUST discovered a new way (American way) to do division and I have to learn it and be comfortable with it for my son.

 

Here is little clip.

[PachiSusan]

I *think* it might be because we check by multiplication afterwards, so in your example:

 

you would take the 213 and multiply it by the 2. If you get the answer in the bracket type sign, you know you have the right answer.

 

I think it's just in the way you present it - the method is the same. The set up is just in a different order. It will just take time and remembering where the divisor and the dividend go in the set up.

[happymomofboys]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing. :thumbup1:

[trying my best]

totally agree. I am looking at Roket math for division and he needs to be very fluent with his answers and I need to check if he is fluent and i am the one who is not lol I know i will get use to it - takes practice :)

[Heathermomster]

What country in Europe uses this? I'd like to see how this works with decimal math.

[trying my best]

I'd like to see how this works with decimal math.

 

give me example :)

[Heathermomster]

give me example :)

 

 

.001675 / 8.00091

[trying my best]

 

.001675 / 8.00091

 

ok its the same way you would solve in traditional american way only your answer will be under the "8.00091" number.

[mom2bee]

Thank you very much for that clip! Quite informative. Which country are you from?

 

I never thought about the fact that the American division bar and the root sign are so similar, but now that you mention, its a very logical thought to have.

I still say that you should teach division in which ever way you are most comfortable with. It won't make any real difference in the grand scheme of things.

 

.............................................................................................................................................................____

I will say that I struggled mightily with learning long division but I was taught to read some thing like 7)217 as "7 goes into 217 how many times"

 

Ofcourse the answer is 31, and I was told to check my division with multiplication. Multiply 7*31 and make sure that you get 217.

 

I have heard some international students say things about the way that we write our division signs. We are in college though so we were doing polynomial division, not division with natural numbers and we never really got into it beyond the "We don't write division this way in my country" bit.

[regentrude]

I highly dislike the US way of writing it:

1. because the division sign resembles the root sign and

2. because the answer ends up on top of the problem. This is not a logical way to write out math, and you'd never write a polynomial division by having the answer above the problem - at least in the Western world, we write from top to bottom, so this makes no sense to me.

The algorithm is not really different, but the presentation does nto allow for a generalization to more complex problems because of this.

[Dana]

you'd never write a polynomial division by having the answer above the problem - at least in the Western world, we write from top to bottom, so this makes no sense to me.

 

Example at purplemath.

 

I've only seen synthetic division working underneath the problem.

Polynomial long division is done the same way as long division with numbers (as in link).

I do align like terms (unlike the link), but if you take a look at any college algebra text, I've only seen polynomial long division in the US way.

 

Do you have any links of the other way for polynomial division?

 

I do agree with the long division symbol looking like a radical and I tell students every semester NOT to write a radical.

[mom2bee]

I highly dislike the US way of writing it:

1. because the division sign resembles the root sign and

2. because the answer ends up on top of the problem. This is not a logical way to write out math, and you'd never write a polynomial division by having the answer above the problem - at least in the Western world, we write from top to bottom, so this makes no sense to me.

The algorithm is not really different, but the presentation does nto allow for a generalization to more complex problems because of this.

I am from the US and recieved only a US education, but I was taught to write the answer to polynomial long division on the top of US division sign...

I studied from Stewarts PreCalculus textbook, for what its worth.

 

I am very interested to see how other countries teach and write math though, are you from France? (You're from a French speaking country though, right?)

[regentrude]

I am from the US and recieved only a US education, but I was taught to write the answer to polynomial long division on the top of US division sign...

I studied from Stewarts PreCalculus textbook, for what its worth.

 

I am very interested to see how other countries teach and write math though, are you from France? (You're from a French speaking country though, right?)

 

 

No, I am from Germany.

We write in a line. The result for a polynomial division goes on the right hand sign of the equal sign.

[regentrude]

I've only seen synthetic division working underneath the problem.

Polynomial long division is done the same way as long division with numbers (as in link).

I do align like terms (unlike the link), but if you take a look at any college algebra text, I've only seen polynomial long division in the US way.

 

Do you have any links of the other way for polynomial division?

 

 

Thanks for educating me that this is standard in this country. I still dislike it because I find it illogical.

 

I studied math in Germany, and we write equations. The equal terms are connected by an equal sign and sit at same height on both sides of the equal sign.

Number1:Number2=Quotient. All the steps go underneath the original numbers, the equal sign is aligned with the original expression - because the quotient is equal to Number1:Number2.

Same for polynomials: Polynomial1 : polynomial2= polynomial3. The answer goes on the right side of the equal sign.

 

How on earth is one supposed to keep track of calculations of there are no equal signs, especially if the division is just a small part of a longer problem?

 

Here is a link to German style polynomial division:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynomdivision

[Dana]

How on earth is one supposed to keep track of calculations of there are no equal signs, especially if the division is just a small part of a longer problem?

 

Scratch work to the side!

 

Don't get me started on the notation problems students have! I do my best to teach my bunch the importance of notation and that it doesn't matter what you meant to say...it matters what you said. Answers must be stated clearly.

Sometimes I feel like Sissyphus.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

[regentrude]

Don't get me started on the notation problems students have! I do my best to teach my bunch the importance of notation and that it doesn't matter what you meant to say...it matters what you said. Answers must be stated clearly.

Sometimes I feel like Sissyphus.

 

I hear you. I have trouble with my physics students in college who still have not understood that the equal sign can only be used to connect equal terms. They happily perform operations in the middle of the line and write run-on expressions with equal signs connecting terms that are no longer equal to the beginning of the "equation".

 

Sisyphus is a very apt description.

[Caroline]

I don't see how the European way has the answer on the other side of an equal sign, either. I would love to see how you do polynomial division with an equal sign in the middle using this notation. There is no equal sign in the video at all.

 

I highly dislike the US way of writing it:

1. because the division sign resembles the root sign and

2. because the answer ends up on top of the problem. This is not a logical way to write out math, and you'd never write a polynomial division by having the answer above the problem - at least in the Western world, we write from top to bottom, so this makes no sense to me.

The algorithm is not really different, but the presentation does nto allow for a generalization to more complex problems because of this.

[regentrude]

I don't see how the European way has the answer on the other side of an equal sign, either. I would love to see how you do polynomial division with an equal sign in the middle using this notation. There is no equal sign in the video at all.

 

 

I posted this link in an earlier post in this thread; it may answer your question. We don't do that weird sign from the video; we write a colon for the division sign.

Here is a link to German style polynomial division. Scroll down for example.

http://de.wikipedia....Polynomdivision

[mom2bee]

 

No, I am from Germany.

 

 

I'm so sorry! For some reason I thought you were French! :blushing:

I'm really bad at keeping track of who is who on internet forums, but I thought you were French. Sorry. (Do your children study French indepth?)

[Heathermomster]

ok its the same way you would solve in traditional american way only your answer will be under the "8.00091" number.

 

Yeah, proper placement of the divisor is easy enough. I merely wanted to see a larger problem worked out. Thanks..

[regentrude]

 

I'm so sorry! For some reason I thought you were French! :blushing:

I'm really bad at keeping track of who is who on internet forums, but I thought you were French. Sorry. (Do your children study French indepth?)

 

Yes, my DD studies French; she is finishing the fourth class offered at our university.

[Spy Car]

The "American" way is superior in form because it keeps the digits in the quotient lined up according to their proper "place value."

 

The "European" way does not. Otherwise they are pretty much the same. But in the way they are different, the American way is better IMO.

 

Bill

[AMJ]

I dont want this tread be a something to argue about. Both ways are correct and we get comfortable what we learned and we need to adopt (if we have to) to news ways. In my case I will teach my son American way because i have to and I will adopt to it myself. When he is good at it I most likely to show him my way just for fun and see what he thinks.

This is really my first time looking into division that is done differently and whole outlook on how it is presented in usa. Again, both ways are correct but to a new eye the change IS confusing.

 

The least thing I want is to start a thread to argue about. :) Just remember this video is from a person who JUST discovered a new way (American way) to do division and I have to learn it and be comfortable with it for my son.

 

Here is little clip.

 

 

Would you happen to have any clips or links showing how to do non-American methods of division, please? We in the United States should become familiar with other ways, too!

 

:001_smile:

[Spy Car]

 

 

Would you happen to have any clips or links showing how to do non-American methods of division, please? We in the United States should become familiar with other ways, too!

 

:001_smile:

 

 

There is a video link in the OP (at the end, it says "this").

 

Bill

[AMJ]

There is a video link in the OP (at the end, it says "this").

 

Bill

 

 

My bad -- I was reading the OP while distracted, and got the impression that clip only showed the American way, so I didn't watch it. I watched it now, and noticed that the person speaking referred to her country obliquely, and did not name it. In the name of cultural awareness, which countries use the method she first showed? Do any other countries use the "American" way? And what other versions are there?

[AMJ]

Here is a link to German style polynomial division:

http://de.wikipedia....Polynomdivision

 

Everyone, a note about the wikipedia page in this link: It comes up in German (understandably enough). Wikipedia has this nice feature where you can click on another language in a list, and it switches over to that language for the page.

 

HOWEVER, switching to English for this page does not simply get you a straight-forward translation of the stuff on the German-language page. Instead it gives you a much different rehash -- try it, the mathematical notations completely change. One simply cannot switch to one's own language to see what was written in the page's source language.

 

 

And to note: it shows polynomial divisions being done with our "American" division box -- which is a totally unfamiliar method for handling polynomial divisions to me. I showed it to my DH (degrees in both mechanical engineering and math), and he said it was quite strange, too. This is NOT a commonly-taught method of handling polynomial division in the U.S. We tend to handle polynomial division much like the notation I saw on the German-language page.

 

The "American" division box is very useful for long division, at least to those of us who grew up with it. But it certainly is NOT the way we handle polynomials, at least not the majority of us.

[nansk]

Do any other countries use the "American" way?

 

Here is some info on wikipedia. Singapore does it this way too.

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