Slide all of the beads in the bottom section down and the beads in the top section up, so no beads are near the bar. Each column on the abacus represents one digit in a number. No beads near the horizontal bar is a zero, while one through five are represented with a matching number of beads from the bottom section slid up. Six through nine are represented by sliding one bead from the top row down to the bar and one to four beads from the bottom up, meaning the top bead is worth five.
Represent the number being divided on the rightmost columns. For example, if dividing 835 by 5, you would slide five beads up in the rightmost column, three beads up in the second rightmost column, and three beads up and one top bead down in the third rightmost column.
Find how many times the number being divided by goes into the first digit, then slide a matching number of beads in the leftmost column. In the example, 5 goes into 8 one time, so one bead is slid up in the leftmost column.
Multiply the result from the prior step by the number being divided by, then subtract the result from the current digit being worked on. For the example, 5 multiplied by 1 equals 5, so 5 would be subtracted from the first digit in the number being divided. To do this, the top bead would be slid away from the bar, yielding a 3, making the new number 335.
Repeat the process on the second digit, dividing the number being divided by into all digits to the left of and including the digit you are on. For the example, as the remaining number is 335 and you are on to the second digit, 5 would be divided into 33, resulting in 6 being the second digit in your answer, so one top bead and one bottom bead are slid to the bar.
Continue dividing until you have solved for the final digit. In the example, you would be left with one bead slid up in the leftmost column, one bottom and one top bead in the second leftmost column and two bottom with one top bead in the third leftmost column, for a result of 167.