What Is the Answer to a Division Problem Called?

The solution to a division problem is known as the quotient. This word is derived from the Latin phrase “quotiens,” which means “how often.”

Division is the separation of a number into equal groups. The divided number is the dividend. The divisor is the number of equal groups into which the dividend is divided, and the quotient, or solution to the problem, is the number of things in each equal group.

Finding a quotient involves dividing one number by another. When two positive numbers are divided, the quotient is also positive. Similarly, the result of dividing two negative numbers is similarly positive. However, the result of dividing a positive number by a negative integer is negative.

A number cannot be divided by zero, as this would imply that a pie of size zero is evenly divided into five pieces, which is impossible. The solution to a “divided by zero” problem is NOT zero; rather, it is that it does not exist (also known as DNE).

A number can however be split by a greater number. This procedure returns a fraction, a decimal, or a percentage.