Definition of Remainder in Simple Math Terms for Kids

Question

Hey there! 👋 Ever divided up a pizza with your friends and had some slices left over? 🍕 That's kind of like remainders in math. It's what's 'left over' after you've divided something as evenly as possible. Let's learn more!

trevor471 · Accepted Answer

📚 What is the Remainder?
In simple math terms for kids, the remainder is the amount "left over" after performing division. When one number cannot be divided evenly by another, the remainder is what's left. Think of it as the extra cookies you have when you can't share them equally among your friends.

📜 History of Remainders
The concept of remainders has been around for thousands of years! Ancient civilizations needed ways to divide land, resources, and time. They developed methods for division, and naturally, the idea of a remainder emerged. While we use modern notation now, the underlying idea is very old.

🔢 Key Principles of Remainders

➗ Division: Remainders only appear during division. It's the part of the division problem that's "left over."
    
     ➖ Subtraction: You can think of division as repeated subtraction. The remainder is what's left when you can't subtract anymore whole groups.
    
     💯 Less Than Divisor: The remainder is always smaller than the number you are dividing by (the divisor). If it's not, you can divide again!
     ➕ Relationship to Dividend, Divisor, Quotient: The dividend (the number being divided) is equal to (divisor × quotient) + remainder. We can express this as: $Dividend = (Divisor 	imes Quotient) + Remainder$

🌍 Real-World Examples
Let's look at some examples to help you understand remainders better:

Example
        Explanation

Sharing 17 stickers among 5 friends.
        Each friend gets 3 stickers ($17 \div 5 = 3$ with a remainder). The remainder is 2 stickers because $5 	imes 3 = 15$, and $17 - 15 = 2$.  You have 2 stickers left over!

You have 23 crayons and want to make packs of 4.
        You can make 5 packs ($23 \div 4 = 5$ with a remainder). The remainder is 3 crayons because $4 	imes 5 = 20$, and $23 - 20 = 3$. You have 3 crayons left over.

There are 30 students, and they need to be in 7 groups.
        Each group will have 4 students ($30 \div 7 = 4$ with a remainder). The remainder is 2 students because $7 	imes 4 = 28$, and $30 - 28 = 2$. You have 2 students left over.

💡 Conclusion
Remainders are simply what's 'left over' when you divide. They are a fundamental part of division and appear in everyday situations. Understanding remainders helps us solve problems in sharing, grouping, and many other areas of math! Keep practicing, and you'll master them in no time!

Definition of Remainder in Simple Math Terms for Kids

1 Answers

📚 What is the Remainder?

📜 History of Remainders

🔢 Key Principles of Remainders

🌍 Real-World Examples

💡 Conclusion

Join the discussion

Example	Explanation
Sharing 17 stickers among 5 friends.	Each friend gets 3 stickers ($17 \div 5 = 3$ with a remainder). The remainder is 2 stickers because $5 \times 3 = 15$, and $17 - 15 = 2$. You have 2 stickers left over!
You have 23 crayons and want to make packs of 4.	You can make 5 packs ($23 \div 4 = 5$ with a remainder). The remainder is 3 crayons because $4 \times 5 = 20$, and $23 - 20 = 3$. You have 3 crayons left over.
There are 30 students, and they need to be in 7 groups.	Each group will have 4 students ($30 \div 7 = 4$ with a remainder). The remainder is 2 students because $7 \times 4 = 28$, and $30 - 28 = 2$. You have 2 students left over.