Division
The computer hardware simulates how human perform division.
The example below shows dividing 100101010 by 100010.
For reasons similar to those in multiplication, we limit this decimal example to using only the digits 0 and 1.
The basic grammar school division algorithm tries to see how big a number can be subtracted, creating a digit of quotient on each attempt.
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Our carefully selected decimal example uses only the numbers of 0 and 1, so it’s easy to figure out how many times the divisor goes into the portion of the dividend: it’s either 0 times or 1 time.
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100110 Quotient
___________
Divisor 100010 ) 100101010 Dividend
– 1000
——————————
10
101
1010
– 1000
————————
1010 Remainder
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Binary numbers contain only 0 or 1, so binary division is restricted to these two choices, thereby simplifying binary division.
The two operands (dividend and divisor) and the result (quotient) of divide are accompanied by a second result called the remainder.
Here is another way to express the relationship between the components:
Dividend = Quotient × Divisor + Remainder
where the remainder is smaller than the divisor.
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She is a dead ringer (similar in appearance) for her older sister.
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