This reciprocal table was used for division. To divide by a number, just look up its reciprocal, and then multiply by the reciprocal. Thus, a separate division algorithm is not needed.

Below are two tables of reciprocals of regular numbers. The first includes reciprocals through 60, and it's short enough to quickly construct by hand. The second goes through 3600, but would take much more time to complete by hand.

Note that there is no decimal point. Each line gives several reciprocals. Consider the line with 1:20 and 45. This says that to divide by 1:20 (which is 80 decimally), instead multiply by 45. Also, to divide by 45, instead multiply by 1:20. Of course, decimal points, actually se agesimal points, were not recorded by the Babylonians, so this line was interpreted several ways based on where the implicit sexagesimal point was located. For example,

   Number        Reciprocal             Interpretation
   
    1.20            .45             1 + 20/60 and 45/60 are reciprocals
 1:20.              .00:45          60 + 20 and 45/3600 are reciprocals
     .01:20       45.               1/60 + 20/3600 and 45 are reciprocals

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