FTCE General Knowledge Math Practice Test

When a dividend is divided by zero, what is the result?

1. Infinity

2. Undefined

3. Zero

4. One

The correct answer is: Undefined

When a dividend is divided by zero, the result is considered undefined. This is because division by zero does not yield a meaningful or finite number. In mathematical terms, division is essentially the process of determining how many times a divisor can fit into a dividend. However, when the divisor is zero, this leads to an indeterminate form since any number of times zero fits into a dividend cannot be calculated. For instance, if you try to define a division like 10 divided by 0, you would be looking for a number that, when multiplied by 0, gives you 10. Since any number multiplied by 0 results in 0, there is no possible solution for this equation. Thus, it is classified as undefined. In different scenarios, such as limits in calculus, approaching division by zero can result in infinity or negative infinity, but in direct arithmetic terms, division by zero remains undefined. Other given choices, like zero or one, do not reflect the nature of division; zero would imply that the dividend has no value when that's not the case. Therefore, the conclusion is that dividing any number by zero results in an undefined value.