What is a quotient of 27?

1 Answer
Sep 20, 2015

Depending on the context, it could mean:

(1) The result of dividing #27# by another number.
(2) That #27# is the result of dividing one number by another.

Explanation:

The expression "quotient of #27#" seems slightly grammatically incorrect and ambiguous without a context.

When we divide one number by another, it may give an exact result, or may be expressed as a quotient and remainder.

For example:

#192 / 7 = 27# with remainder #3#

The number #192# is called the dividend
The number #7# is the divisor
The number #27# is the quotient
The number #3# is the remainder

So you might say in this example: "When dividing #192# by #7# you get a quotient of #27# and remainder #3#". The word "of" here is not really needed or correct.

When we divide #27# by another whole number, it can only give an exact result if the divisor is a factor of #27#. You could use the expression "quotient of #27#" to mean any possible result of such a division. An example might be: "When dividing numbers by #3# the quotient of #27# is #9#.". This seems slightly cumbersome.

A better example would be "What is the quotient of #27# divided by #3#?". In this question "quotient of #27#" is not a noun in itself, the question is asking "What is the quotient when you divide #27# by #3#?"