Χά�ων Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Just wondering if anyone else finds long division relaxing. :D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Take it or leave it. I can do it. I will do it if there is a reason to do it. Otherwise, I do not go looking for opportunities to do any. 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 What the...what kind of question is this? Yes, my dh would probably find long division soothing. He probably could also do it all in his head. Me, I'd almost rather have my toenails yanked out. And teaching it....definitely would prefer the Chinese water torture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 My kids just did that unit in 3rd grade (b&m school). I was nervous. But they got through it without a scratch, and now I'm just glad it's over. :P I still have bad memories from long division 40 years ago. I missed school the day they taught it, so I asked my older brother. He taught me short division. All my work was marked wrong (though my answers were correct) until I finally figured out long division. Then the next day the teacher introduced short division. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I still have bad memories from long division 40 years ago. I missed school the day they taught it, so I asked my older brother. He taught me short division. All my work was marked wrong (though my answers were correct) until I finally figured out long division. Then the next day the teacher introduced short division. :/ I loathed teachers like that. Still do! I came to long division the long way. FIRST I learned how to factor numbers, THEN I applied that technique to division. Eventually I understood what my teachers had been trying to do when teaching us division in the usual way, and now I can do long and short division with the best of 'em! (But I usually divide and multiply by moving around factors instead. It's just easier for me.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Math grad student here, and arithmetic is easy but still my own personal version of hell. So boring. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Take it or leave it. I can do it. I will do it if there is a reason to do it. Otherwise, I do not go looking for opportunities to do any. Me, too. I'm not generally a math person, but I don't find long division difficult or intimidating or anything. I don't dread it when a reason for it comes up, and I can do it competently. I just don't find it "fun." Now, give me a series of SAT-style sentence completion questions? I'm all over that! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Math grad student here, and arithmetic is easy but still my own personal version of hell. So boring. :iagree: Yes to the "boring" --- I'd much rather be doing algebra or calculus. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I have a math degree and don't really enjoy long division. It's pretty much just procedural. Actual problem solving I LOVE though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justmeandyou Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I'd rather have a root canal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 LOL. I find it rather boring. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I have no opinion. I don't hate it but I don't think it is fun. It isn't challenging enough to be interesting, it is easy and dull. I would rather do something complicated. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Just wondering if anyone else finds long division relaxing. :D Oh, my gosh, yes! When I started driving I had to train myself to stop dividing the last digit (sometimes two) of numbers on signs into the entire number. Because I did that for years pre-16 years old, I can do long division quickly in my head and know at a glance if a big number is divisible by various numbers. I also loved long car trips on highways with lots of signs with numbers on them. I had to consciously stop when I started driving, though, because it was so automatic and really not something I should have been doing while driving as a new driver. Long division is just an incredibly beautiful thing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 As relaxing as a colonic irrigation. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Love math, find arithmetic boring. I do math for fun - but NOT long division of numbers. I like problems where I have to think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yes, I like it. There's something nice about thinking of it as a fun way to remember place values and remainders from each step. It's a clever set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Hmm. I like math. I never thought of doing it for fun! Good idea! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I like math. Long division is a means to an end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Hmm. I like math. I never thought of doing it for fun! Good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Good grief. I thought I was the only one. I find it to be a bit like coloring. You just get into a little zone with it. It's mindless is a good way. A bit like doing a sudoku. But only really long ones. I did *not* feel that way as a kid though. I thought they were just annoying as all get out. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I like long division, but love short division. Did you all learn short division in school? My elementary years are 35-40 years behind me but I did. I've talked with some grownups like me, though, who didn't learn short division in school; they still didn't even know it was a thing. That was weird to me because it's so useful. With short division, I can do the problem in my head. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I don't mind doing it so much, but I loathe teaching it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Hmm. I like math. I never thought of doing it for fun! Good idea! You might like some of these: http://www.pennydellpuzzles.com/subcategory.aspx?c=logicmath I love puzzles. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Um. I'm not sure I know what short division is exactly. My mum taught me something at home that didn't involve writing everything down like my teachers wanted but I don't know if that's it or not. *waddles away feeling uneducated* ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 You might like some of these: http://www.pennydellpuzzles.com/subcategory.aspx?c=logicmath I love puzzles. Thanks for the link! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 It's like using the toilet. I don't get any particular thrill out of it, but sometimes it needs to be done and I find I am happier after it's finished. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I like long division, but love short division. Did you all learn short division in school? My elementary years are 35-40 years behind me but I did. I've talked with some grownups like me, though, who didn't learn short division in school; they still didn't even know it was a thing. That was weird to me because it's so useful. With short division, I can do the problem in my head. I always thought that everyone learned short division after (or instead of) long division. I always wondered why they bother to teach long division at all, when short division is just as easy and makes more sense. I generally do all division in my head if it is a manageable number. If we're talking massive numbers (for work), I use Excel. I usually need to keep documentation that I didn't pull a number out of my rear. ;) I have never thought of long division (or any division) as a fun pastime that I might decide to do when I have no practical need for it. Perhaps I am missing a whole dimension of life.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 It's so nice and methodical, I do find it kind of relaxing and fun. Like sudoku, but with less puzzling :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I like long division, but love short division. Did you all learn short division in school? My elementary years are 35-40 years behind me but I did. I've talked with some grownups like me, though, who didn't learn short division in school; they still didn't even know it was a thing. That was weird to me because it's so useful. With short division, I can do the problem in my head. I can't say I've ever heard of it, but that doesn't mean I'm not doing it without knowing what it is called. Any examples you can explain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I have a math degree and don't really enjoy long division. It's pretty much just procedural. Actual problem solving I LOVE though!Procedural is so zen for me, but puzzles annoy me. This could be why we are a Saxon family :D ... It could also be why I absolutely detest the teaching style of AoPS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Um. I'm not sure I know what short division is exactly. My mum taught me something at home that didn't involve writing everything down like my teachers wanted but I don't know if that's it or not. *waddles away feeling uneducated* ;) Well now I'm curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Not really, but my mother mentioned that she used to do massive long division problems to kill time in boring classes. I didn't "get" long division. I had my own algorithm involving fractions, that really was mathematically equivalent and is still how I do division. When I was taught polynomial long division, it was as if a lightbulb went off over my head -- "oh! That's what they were trying to explain before! Just all the x's were 10s before!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Well now I'm curious... http://www.themathpage.com/arith/divide-whole-numbers.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I don't mind it personally but I will have a big party when I get my last child through long division. I am not good at teaching potty training or long division. I enjoy teaching just about anything else. I would brush up and teach Calculus or Differential Equations rather than teach another child long division. 1 1/2 children down... i don't like to sew, but I enjoyed teaching it. I usually like teaching... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 http://www.themathpage.com/arith/divide-whole-numbers.htm Okay, I kind of get it, and I think I tend to do that automatically. But it doesn't seem easier or faster to me jnless I'm doing it wrong. It's basically long division without writing every step, yes? No? I hate math explanation online, I suck at them. Badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I enjoyed it once I got the hang of it as a kid, then got bored by it. Finding shortcuts to avoid it is more fun. Trying to teach it to DD was torture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Okay, I kind of get it, and I think I tend to do that automatically. But it doesn't seem easier or faster to me jnless I'm doing it wrong. It's basically long division without writing every step, yes? No? I hate math explanation online, I suck at them. Badly. Pretty much. It takes up less space on the page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Okay, I kind of get it, and I think I tend to do that automatically. But it doesn't seem easier or faster to me jnless I'm doing it wrong. It's basically long division without writing every step, yes? No? I hate math explanation online, I suck at them. Badly. Yes, I don't know why one would seem easier in the head than the other. They seem the same to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I don't mind it personally but I will have a big party when I get my last child through long division. I am not good at teaching potty training or long division. I enjoy teaching just about anything else. I would brush up and teach Calculus or Differential Equations rather than teach another child long division. 1 1/2 children down... i don't like to sew, but I enjoyed teaching it. I usually like teaching... This is me (except for the Calculus part). I didn't like potty training; it always seemed like a miracle just happened one day and they cared. But until that day, I just felt like I constantly failed for a year. Long Dvision: I am in the throws of it just now, presumably for the last time. I don't know why, I just suck at explaining this in a "sticky" way. It's as though every time the math book appears, we have never seen this before ever. I haven't started back since easter break yet, either, but I would bet the heirlooms DS will have no memory of long division. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I voted yes, because I enjoy math in general. But I think long division is a little boring and would rather solve algebra problems. I do find that relaxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I used to be that kid in class that would randomly write out a really long division problem instead of doodling when bored. Now I'm of the pass the calculator mindset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Re short division: You basically do the divide step as usual and then the multiply and subtract steps in your head, writing the number you come up with after subtracting really small right next to the appropriate number in the dividend. There's no "bring down" step (so there's no writing under the dividend). See below. If it's not too huge of a number, and if you can keep the numbers pictured in your mind, you can do short division in your head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I love your choices... :lol: But long division was not one of my relaxing experiences...I DO find myself enjoying multiplication with a lattice grid...or math logic puzzles (very basic ones). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Thanks for the short division information! It is what my mum taught me at home...we were only taught long division in school. I never knew it was called short division. Most of what I really learned, at least what stuck, was from my mum. Learning at home from your parents...what a concept! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I factor large numbers in my head for fun, which includes division. I don't just pick a division problem to do, though. I do enjoy doing some calculus problems or translating sentences for relaxing fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 You don't have a meh option. I don't love it, don't hate it. I'll do it when needed but I'd rather use a calculator. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I don't know if I find it particularly relaxing, but I admit there is a certain elegance to its symmetry that I admire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I don't like long division but this year I've realized that I do like simplifying algebraic expressions. It's like tidying up or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I have actually been known to do SAT Math practice tests for fun on a Friday evening. But I wouldn't say long division is particularly fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Yes! And advanced algebraic equations. And I'm not even particularly math-minded; I just find them fun- like a puzzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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