Divisors

Number Theory (Johnsonbaugh, 2005)

o It is a branch of mathematics concerned with integers and their properties.

Divisibility (http://etihadaou.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/M131-Tutorial_3-Integers-Division-Matrices.ppt)
• It means dividing a number evenly.

Figure 1 Retrieved from: http://www.serffair.com/

• d | n; d divides n if there is no remainder on the division

• d ∤ n; d does not divide n

Figure 2 Integers Divisible by the Positive Integer d

Divisibility Rules (http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol3/divisibility.html)

• 2 divides n if the last digit of the number is even (e. g. 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8).
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 2 | 128 and 2 | 129
• 3 divides n if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 3 | 381 and 3 | 217
• 4 divides n if the number formed by the last two (2) digits is divisible by 4.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 4 | 1312 and 4 | 7019
• 5 divides n if the last digit is either 0 or 5.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 5 | 175 and 5 | 809
• 6 divides n if it is divisible by 2 and it is divisible by 3.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 6 | 114 and 6 | 308
• To find out if 7 divides n, take the last digit, double it, and subtract it from the rest of the number.
• If you get an answer divisible by 7 (including zero), then the original number is divisible by seven; If you don't know
the new number's divisibility, you can apply the rule again.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 7 | 672 and 7 | 905
• 8 divides n if the number formed by the last three digits is divisible by 8.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 8 | 109816 and 8 | 216302
• 9 divides n if the sum of the digits is divisible by 9.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 9 | 1629 and 9 | 2013
 • 10 divides n if the last digit is 0.
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 10 | 220 and 10 | 221
• 11 divides n if the difference between the sum of one set of alternate digits (from left to right) and the sum of the
other set of alternate digits (from left to right) is 0 or divisible by 11
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 11 | 3729 and 11 | 987
• 12 divides n, if the number is divisible by both 3 and 4 (it passes both the 3 rule and 4 rule above)
o Example:
▪ Determine whether 12 | 648 and 12 | 524

Practice Exercises (https://www.whitman.edu/mathematics/higher_math_online/section02.02.html#exercises)

• For the given d and n, show d | a by finding a q with n = d x q
o 4 | 20 o 1 | 23
o 5 | −25 o −1 | 17
o −3 | 9 o −5 | 0
o −9 | −27 o 75 | 75

Prime Numbers
• These are positive integers p (greater than 1) that cannot be divided by any number except themselves and 1.

Figure 3 7 cannot be divided up evenly

• Procedures on finding out the prime numbers (http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.prime.num.html)

o Write the numbers from 1 to 100 in 10 rows of 10.
o Cross off number 1 because all primes are greater than 1
o Number 2 is a prime, so we can keep it, but we need to cross off the multiples of 2 (i.e. even numbers).
o Number 3 is also a prime, so again, we keep it and cross off the multiples of 3.
o The next number left is 5 (because four has been crossed off), so we keep it and cross of the multiples of
this number.
o The final number left in the first row is number 7, so cross off its multiples. You have finished; All of the
"surviving" numbers on your grid are prime numbers.

Composite Numbers
• These are positive integers that is greater than 1 and is not prime.
• It can be divided by at least one (1) other number (a factor) other than itself.

Figure 4 Divided into 2 groups

Figure 5 Divided into 3 groups
Practice Exercises
• Determine if a number is a prime or composite and list their factors
o 29 o 28
o 24 o 20
o 11 o 23
o 17 o 12

Greatest Common Divisor

• It is the largest non-zero integer d that is a common divisor of all the given integers if d | a and d | b.
• It is denoted by gcd (a, b).

Steps in Obtaining the GCD of Two (2) or More Integers

• Example:
o Find the greatest common divisor of 375 and 525
• Find the prime factorization of the given integer
o Prime Factorization – It is a way to find which prime numbers multiply together to make the original
number.
▪ How to Do Prime Factorization Using a Factor Tree
• Write any pair of factors of the given number.
• Find factors of these factors.
• Write the numbers from least to greatest and count how many numbers are the same and
write exponents for them.
o List the common prime divisors (factors) with the least power of all the given integers.
o Multiply the common prime divisors (factors) to find the greatest common divisor (factor).

Practice Exercises (Cabero, J., Lopez, R., Salamat, L., & Sta. Maria, A., 2010)
• Find the greatest common divisor of the following pair of numbers
o 4480 and 10000 o 1346 and 2248
o 2345 and 5000 o 1101 and 2002

Least Common Multiple

• It is the smallest integer that is a common multiple (denominator) of all the given integers.
• It is denoted by lcm (a, b).

Steps in Obtaining the LCM of Two (2) or More Integers

• Example:
o Find the least common multiple of 18 and 20
• Find the prime factorization of the given integer
• List the prime divisors (factors) with the greatest power of all the given integers
• Multiply the prime divisors (factors) to find the least common multiple (denominator)

Find the LCM of the following: (Cabero, J., Lopez, R., Salamat, L. & Sta. Maria, A. (2010))
• 1101 and 1000 • 240 and 135
• 445 and 1125 • 172 and 426
Representations of Integers

Number System in Computer (Cabero, J., Lopez, R., Salamat, L., & Sta. Maria, A., 2010)
• Theorem. Let k be a positive integer greater than 1. Then if n is a positive integer, it can be expressed uniquely in
the form: n = amkm + am-1km-1 + … + a1k + a0
• Common Bases
o Decimal: k = 10, digits: {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}
o Binary: k = 2, digits: {0, 1}
o Octal: k = 8, digits: {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}
o Hexadecimal: k = 16, digits: {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F}

Breakdown of the Decimal Number 3854 (Johnsonbaugh, 2005)

3 8 5 4
103 102 101 100
thousands hundreds tens ones

Breakdown of the Binary Number 101101 (Johnsonbaugh, 2005)

1 0 1 1 0 1
25 24 23 22 21 20
thirty twos sixteens eights fours twos ones

Breakdown of the Hexadecimal Number BF4 (Johnsonbaugh, 2005)

B F 4
162 161 160
sixty fours sixteens ones

References:
2.2 Divisibility. (n. d.) Retrieved from
https://www.whitman.edu/mathematics/higher_math_online/section02.02.html#exercises
3. Algorithms, the integers and matrices. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://etihadaou.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/12/M131-Tutorial_3-Integers-Division-Matrices.ppt.
Binary number system and conversion. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/conversion.ppt.
Cabero, J., Lopez, R., Salamat, L., & Sta. Maria, A. (2010). Discrete mathematics 1. Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City:
National Book Store.
Chapter 3 (part 2): the fundamentals: algorithms, the integers & matrices. (2007) Retrieved from
http://www.kau.edu.sa/Files/0057692/Subjects/210ch3part2.ppt.
“Divisible by” what does it mean?. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://star.spsk12.net/math/5/DivisabilityRules.ppt.
Divisibility. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol3/divisibility.html
Johnsonbaugh, R. (2005). Discrete mathematics (6th ed.). Jurong, Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia Pte. Ltd.
Number theory. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~lomonaco/f05/203/slides/08-NumberTheory.ppt
Prime and composite numbers lesson 3. (n. d.) Retrieved from https://mr-van-raalte-math-
9.wikispaces.com/file/view/PRIME+AND+COMPOSITE+NUMBERS+-+Lesson+3.ppt
Prime numbers. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.prime.num.html
Yuskaitis, M. (n. d.) Factors, primes, & composite numbers. Retrieved from
http://gator.gatewayk12.org/~smcgrail/myweb/powerpoint/phc3/Factors%20&%20Primes.ppt