What is 1000 Divided by 7?

Date: 27 Apr 1995 13:14:21 -0400
From: clayton chong
Subject: (none)

      Dear Dr. Math
  Our class is on division. What is 1,000 divided by 7?

                                                    From 
                                                    Clayton chong.

Date: 28 Apr 1995 11:35:34 -0400
From: Dr. Sydney
Subject: Re: your mail

Dear Clayton,

Hello!  I'm glad you wrote Dr. Math!  That is pretty exciting that your
class has started division!  I hope you are liking it!

When you divide two numbers, usually the easiest way to do it is to write
the problem in this notation, which you have probably seen before:
                 ________
                7|1000

Then start with the left-most digit in the number at the right and ask if
the number on the left divides into it.  If not, take the 2 left most digits
and ask yourself the same question.  If the number on the left still doesn't
divide into the number on the right, take the 3 left most digits and so on...

So, in this problem, first ask yourself does 7 go into 1? (1 is the
left-most digit in the number 1000).  Well, no, it doesn't -- 7 is bigger
than one after all!!  So, now ask yourself does 7 go into 10?  Yes!!!  It
does.  So, how many times does 7 go into 10.  That is, how many 7's can we
add together without going beyond 10?  Well, certainly 7 (which is the same
as 7 times 1) is smaller than 10, what about 7+7 (this is the same as 7 
times 2)?  14 is bigger than 10, so we want to stick with the 7*1.  So, 
since 1 7 goes into 10 write a 1 above the first 0.  Then subtract 7 from 10, 
and you get something that looks like this:
                         __1___
                        7|1000
                          -7
                          --
                           3
Now start the same process over again.  Ask yourself if 7 goes into 3 (it
never should--if it does, go back one step and check your work).  Then pull
down the next digit (the third digit from the right -- a 0), and ask
yourself if 7 goes into 30.  Repeat this until you have no more digits left
to pull down.  Then the number that is left over after subtracting the last
time is called the remainder. 

See if you can finish up this problem.  If you are confused by anything I
said, or if you have any more questions feel free to write back!

--Sydney, "dr. math"