Multiples, divisors, and divisibility rules
A grasshopper always jumps $6$ decimeters at a time. After several jumps, can it land exactly on the $20$-decimeter mark? And if Ximena shares $28$ stickers among $4$ friends, are there any left over? These questions are about multiples and divisors: the foundation of everything that comes next in this unit.
Multiples and divisors
$6, 12, 18, 24, 30\ldots$ are the grasshopper's positions: each one is $6$ times a natural number. They are called multiples of 6.
Notice: "$60$ is a multiple of $15$," "$15$ is a divisor of $60$," and "$60$ is divisible by $15$" all say exactly the same thing; only the point of view changes.
A grasshopper is training for a competition. With each jump it travels forward exactly $6$ decimeters. Write down the total distance it has travelled after taking…
A grasshopper is training for a competition. With each jump it travels forward exactly $6$ decimeters.
Write down the total distance it has travelled after taking $1, 2, 3, 4, 5$ and $10$ jumps. What are these numbers called with respect to $6$?
Marta wants to share $28$ stickers equally among her $4$ friends. a) How many stickers will each person receive? Are any left over? b) Is $28$ divisible by $4$? c) Is…
Marta wants to share $28$ stickers equally among her $4$ friends.
- a) How many stickers will each person receive? Are any left over?
- b) Is $28$ divisible by $4$?
- c) Is $4$ a factor of $28$?
Look at the following "number jump" diagram and complete the sentences using the words multiple, factor or divisible: a) $60$ is a .................... of $12$. b) $12$…
Look at the following "number jump" diagram and complete the sentences using the words multiple, factor or divisible:
- a) $60$ is a .................... of $12$.
- b) $12$ is a .................... of $180$.
- c) $180$ is .................... by $60$.
- d) If we add the number $5$ to the diagram, what relationship would it have with $60$?
Common multiples
Sometimes a number has to be a multiple of two numbers at once. For example, two trucks leave a depot, one every $12$ minutes and the other every $15$, and you want to know when they leave at the same time.
State whether the following statements are true or false, giving an example or counterexample in each case: a) If a number is a factor of $10$, it is also a factor of…
State whether the following statements are true or false, giving an example or counterexample in each case:
- a) If a number is a factor of $10$, it is also a factor of all multiples of $10$ (such as $20, 30, 40...$).
- b) The set of factors of a number is infinite.
- c) If a number $a$ is a multiple of $b$, then $b$ is a factor of $a$.
- d) Any natural number is, at least, divisible by itself and by 1.
Consider a natural number $n$ that satisfies the following two properties: 1. $n$ is a common multiple of $12$ and $15$. 2. $n$ is a factor of $360$. Write down all…
Consider a natural number $n$ that satisfies the following two properties:
-
$n$ is a common multiple of $12$ and $15$.
-
$n$ is a factor of $360$.
Write down all possible values of $n$. For each value found, state its smallest factor (other than $1$) and the smallest multiple of $n$ that is greater than $1\,000$.
Finding all the divisors
To find all the divisors of a number, you test one by one starting at $1$ and keep the ones that leave remainder $0$. Each divisor you find brings its partner with it: if $24 \div 3 = 8$, then $3$ and $8$ are both divisors.
Identify which of the following numbers are factors of $24$ by performing the necessary divisions: $$2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14$$ Remember: A number is a factor of another if,…
Identify which of the following numbers are factors of $24$ by performing the necessary divisions:
$$2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14$$Remember: A number is a factor of another if, when divided, the remainder is equal to $0$.
An animal shelter has received a donation of $48$ cans of cat food. They want to store them in small boxes so that all the boxes have the same number of cans and none…
An animal shelter has received a donation of $48$ cans of cat food. They want to store them in small boxes so that all the boxes have the same number of cans and none are left over.
- a) Write down all the factors of $48$.
- b) If the manager wants each box to contain more than $5$ cans but fewer than $15$, what packaging options do they have? State the number of cans per box and how many boxes would be needed in each case.
An event company wants to organise a concert in a rectangular room. They have bought a total of $150$ chairs. The organiser wants to arrange them so that all rows have…
An event company wants to organise a concert in a rectangular room. They have bought a total of $150$ chairs. The organiser wants to arrange them so that all rows have the same number of chairs, but with the following restrictions:
-
There must be more than $5$ rows.
-
In each row there must be more than $10$ chairs.
-
The number of chairs per row must be a factor of $450$ but cannot be a multiple of $4$.
Find all possible ways to arrange the chairs (rows and chairs per row) that meet these conditions.
Perfect squares
With $9$ tiles you can make a $3 \times 3$ square. With $10$ you can't: there is always one too many or too few. The numbers that do make a square are called perfect squares.
The first ones are:
| Side | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect square | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 36 | 49 | 64 | 81 | 100 |
To find the largest perfect square that fits in a number, look for the last one in the list that doesn't go over. For example, with $50$ tiles: $49 \le 50 < 64$, so the largest square is $7 \times 7 = 49$, $1$ tile is left over, and for the next one ($8 \times 8 = 64$) you would be $14$ tiles short.
In Art class we are creating patterns with square tiles. To make a "supersquare", we need the total number of tiles to be a perfect square. a) If we have a jar with $80$…
In Art class we are creating patterns with square tiles. To make a "supersquare", we need the total number of tiles to be a perfect square.
- a) If we have a jar with $80$ tiles, how many tiles are left over if we want to form the largest possible square?
- b) How many more tiles would we need, at minimum, to be able to form the next larger square?
Divisibility rules: 2, 3, 5, 9, and 10
Just by looking at the digits, without dividing, you can tell right away whether a number is a multiple of another.
A librarian has to place books on shelves where exactly $3$ books fit into each space. To quickly find out if they can fill the shelves without any books left over, they…
A librarian has to place books on shelves where exactly $3$ books fit into each space. To quickly find out if they can fill the shelves without any books left over, they use the divisibility test for $3$.
Calculate the sum of the digits of the following numbers and state which ones are divisible by $3$:
- a) $123$
- b) $401$
- c) $516$
- d) $802$
Complete the following table in your notebook by writing YES or NO in each cell, applying the divisibility tests you have learned: | Number | Divisible by $2$ |…
Complete the following table in your notebook by writing YES or NO in each cell, applying the divisibility tests you have learned:
| Number | Divisible by $2$ | Divisible by $3$ | Divisible by $5$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| $45$ | |||
| $60$ | |||
| $132$ | |||
| $205$ |
Replace the letter $A$ with a digit so that the resulting number is a multiple of $9$. Remember that the sum of its digits must be a multiple of $9$. a) $2A5$ b) $71A$…
Replace the letter $A$ with a digit so that the resulting number is a multiple of $9$. Remember that the sum of its digits must be a multiple of $9$.
- a) $2A5$
- b) $71A$
- c) $A08$
Rules for 4 and 11
Two more rules, less well known but just as useful.
How much more to reach a multiple of 11?
If the difference is neither $0$ nor a multiple of $11$, that difference tells you how much is "left over" from the number after forming groups of $11$. It works like the remainder of dividing by $11$.
A number is divisible by $4$ if its last two digits are zeros or form a multiple of $4$. Look at the following years and say which ones would be "special years" because…
A number is divisible by $4$ if its last two digits are zeros or form a multiple of $4$.
Look at the following years and say which ones would be "special years" because they are divisible by $4$:
$1996, 2000, 2010, 2022, 2024, 2030$
Apply the divisibility test for $11$ to determine which of the following numbers are multiples of $11$. For those that are not, state how much you should add to them so…
Apply the divisibility test for $11$ to determine which of the following numbers are multiples of $11$. For those that are not, state how much you should add to them so that they are:
- a) $1,232$
- b) $5,049$
- c) $8,175$
Determine, without performing long division, whether the number $N = 10^5 + 8$ is divisible by $2, 3, 4, 9$ and $11$. Justify each answer by stating the corresponding…
Determine, without performing long division, whether the number $N = 10^5 + 8$ is divisible by $2, 3, 4, 9$ and $11$. Justify each answer by stating the corresponding divisibility rule or property. (Hint: write the number with all its digits first).
Combining several rules
The most useful thing is to chain rules together: if a number meets two at once, you rule out many candidates in one stroke. Careful: meeting two rules is not always the same as meeting one bigger rule. Being divisible by $2$ and by $3$ is the same as being divisible by $6$, and being divisible by $6$ and by $9$ is the same as being divisible by $18$.
A baker has baked a tray of cookies. They know they have more than $70$ cookies but fewer than $85$. If they pack them in boxes of $6$, none are left over. If they pack…
A baker has baked a tray of cookies. They know they have more than $70$ cookies but fewer than $85$. If they pack them in boxes of $6$, none are left over. If they pack them in boxes of $9$, none are left over either.
- a) How many cookies have they baked exactly?
- b) Justify your answer using the divisibility tests for $2$ and $3$ to explain why the number is divisible by $6$.
At a video game convention, the number of attendees is a value between $700$ and $750$. Knowing that this number is divisible by $3$, by $11$, and by $2$ at the same…
At a video game convention, the number of attendees is a value between $700$ and $750$. Knowing that this number is divisible by $3$, by $11$, and by $2$ at the same time, exactly how many people attended the convention? Explain how you ruled out the other possibilities.
A hacker has left a clue to decrypt a server password. The password is the smallest four-digit number, $2A3B$, that simultaneously meets these three conditions: It is…
A hacker has left a clue to decrypt a server password. The password is the smallest four-digit number, $2A3B$, that simultaneously meets these three conditions:
-
It is divisible by $2$ but not by $4$.
-
It is divisible by $9$.
-
It is divisible by $5$.
What is the server password? Justify your answer by applying the rules step by step.
Unknown digits
When a digit is missing and the number has to meet several conditions, start with the rule that narrows down the options the most: the ones that look at the last digits (2, 4, 5, 10) are usually the first ones to use.
Find the value of the missing digit, represented by the letter $A$, in each of these numbers so that the given condition is satisfied: a) $24A$ is divisible by $4$ and…
Find the value of the missing digit, represented by the letter $A$, in each of these numbers so that the given condition is satisfied:
- a) $24A$ is divisible by $4$ and $3$ at the same time.
- b) $51A$ is divisible by $11$.
- c) $A72$ is divisible by $9$ but not by $10$.
Find the value of the unknown digits $A$ and $B$ in the number $5A1B$ knowing that: The number is divisible by both $2$ and $3$ simultaneously. The number is a multiple…
Find the value of the unknown digits $A$ and $B$ in the number $5A1B$ knowing that:
-
The number is divisible by both $2$ and $3$ simultaneously.
-
The number is a multiple of $11$.
-
The digit $A$ is a divisor of $16$ and the digit $B$ is a multiple of $4$ (other than zero).
Reason step by step how you rule out options until you find the correct number.
Find all possible values for the digits $X$ and $Y$ such that the five-digit number $4X12Y$ is divisible by $4$ and by $9$ at the same time. Note that there may be more…
Find all possible values for the digits $X$ and $Y$ such that the five-digit number $4X12Y$ is divisible by $4$ and by $9$ at the same time. Note that there may be more than one winning combination.
Back to the beginning: the grasshopper can't land on $20$ because $20$ is not a multiple of $6$ ($20 \div 6 = 3$, remainder $2$); on the other hand, the $28$ stickers can be shared exactly among $4$ friends because $28$ is a multiple of $4$ ($28 \div 4 = 7$, remainder $0$).