The result of division is to separate a group of objects into several equal smaller groups. The starting group is called the dividend. The number of groups that are separated out is called the divisor. The number of objects in each smaller group is called the quotient.

The results of division can be obtained by repeated subtraction. If we are separating 24 objects into 6 equal groups of four, we would take (or subtract) four objects at a time from the large group and place them in 6 equal groups. In mathematical terms this would be: 24-4-4-4-4-4-4.