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Secondary 1 · Mathematics
Numbers · Divisibility

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.

Number line with arc jumps of 6 from 0 to 24, marking the multiples of 6. jumps of 6 +6+6+6+6 06121824

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.

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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 $6$?

1º 2º 3º 4º 5º 10º ... +6 +6 +6 +6 +6 +6 0 6 ... dm
Solve
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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.

  1. a) How many stickers will each person receive? Are any left over?
  2. b) Is $28$ divisible by $4$?
  3. c) Is $4$ a factor of $28$?
28 pegatinas 4 amigos
Solve
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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:

× 5 × 3 ÷ 3 ÷ 5 12 60 180
  1. a) $60$ is a .................... of $12$.
  2. b) $12$ is a .................... of $180$.
  3. c) $180$ is .................... by $60$.
  4. d) If we add the number $5$ to the diagram, what relationship would it have with $60$?
Solve

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.

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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:

  1. a) If a number is a factor of $10$, it is also a factor of all multiples of $10$ (such as $20, 30, 40...$).
  2. b) The set of factors of a number is infinite.
  3. c) If a number $a$ is a multiple of $b$, then $b$ is a factor of $a$.
  4. d) Any natural number is, at least, divisible by itself and by 1.
Solve
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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:

  1. $n$ is a common multiple of $12$ and $15$.

  2. $n$ 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 $1\,000$.

Solve

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.

The eight divisors of 24 shown in boxes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24. Divisors of 24: 1 2 3 4 6 8 12 24 (5, 7, 9... don't count: they leave a remainder)
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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 $0$.

Solve
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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.

  1. a) Write down all the factors of $48$.
  2. 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.
Solve
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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.

C sillas/fila (C > 10) R filas (R > 5) Total: 150 C divisor de 450 • C ≠ múltiplo de 4
Solve

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.

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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.

  1. a) If we have a jar with $80$ tiles, how many tiles are left over if we want to form the largest possible square?
  1. b) How many more tiles would we need, at minimum, to be able to form the next larger square?
Solve

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.

Rule for 3: 516 has digits that add up to 12 and is divisible; 401 adds up to 5 and is not. 5165+1+6 = 12 12 is a multiple of 3→ 516 is divisible by 3 4014+0+1 = 5 5 is not a multiple of 3→ 401 is NOT divisible by 3
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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 $3$:

  1. a) $123$
  2. b) $401$
  3. c) $516$
  4. d) $802$
Solve
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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 $5$
$45$
$60$
$132$
$205$
Solve
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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 $9$.

  1. a) $2A5$
  2. b) $71A$
  3. c) $A08$
Solve

Rules for 4 and 11

Two more rules, less well known but just as useful.

Examples of the rules: 4 with 2024 and 11 with 5,049. 2024last two digits: 24 24 ÷ 4 = 6→ divisible by 4 5,049(9+0) − (4+5) = 9 − 9 = 0 difference 0→ divisible by 11

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 $11$.

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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 $4$:

$1996, 2000, 2010, 2022, 2024, 2030$

Solve
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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:

  1. a) $1,232$
  2. b) $5,049$
  3. c) $8,175$
+ + d₁ d₂ d₃ d₄ (d₁ + d₃) - (d₂ + d₄) = 0, ±11, ±22... Odd positions Even positions
Solve
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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).

Solve

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 $18$.

Two overlapping circles: multiples of 6 and multiples of 9. In the shared area are the multiples of 18, such as 18, 36 and 72. multiples of 6 multiples of 9 1224 183672 2745 in common: multiples of 18
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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.

  1. a) How many cookies have they baked exactly?
  2. b) Justify your answer using the divisibility tests for $2$ and $3$ to explain why the number is divisible by $6$.
Solve
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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.

Solve
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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.

SERVER_ACCESS // DECRYPTION_IN_PROGRESS... 2 A 3 B
Solve

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.

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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:

  1. a) $24A$ is divisible by $4$ and $3$ at the same time.
  2. b) $51A$ is divisible by $11$.
  3. c) $A72$ is divisible by $9$ but not by $10$.
a) 2 4 A ÷ 3 and ÷ 4 b) 5 1 A ÷ 11 c) A 7 2 ÷ 9 and ∤ 10
Solve
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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.

Solve
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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.

Solve

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 $0$).

Summary

See all the exercises in this section