Math 6A (Periods 2 & 4)

Tests for Divisibility 5-2

It is important to learn the following divisibility rules:
A number is divisibility by:

2 ... if the ones digit of the number is even
3 ... if the sum of the digits is divisible by three ( add the digits together)
4 ... if the number formed by the last two digits is divisible by by four ( Just LOOK at the last two numbers-- DON"T ADD them!!)
5 ... if the ones digits of the number is a 5 or a 0
6 ... if the number is divisible by both 2 and 3... (or if it is even and divisible by 3)
8 ... if the number formed by the last three digits is divisible by 8. (Like FOUR, just look at the last three digits-- divide them by 8)
9 ... if the sum of the digits is divisible by 9
10 ... if the ones digits of the number is a 0.

You will not need to know the divisibility rules for 7 or 11 but they are interesting...

You can test for divisibility by 7
Let's start with a number 959
Step 1: drop the one's digit so we have 95
Step 2: Subtract twice the ones' digit ( that you dropped) in this case we dropped a 9
so we double that and subtract 18 from 95
or 95-18 = 77. If the results, in the case, 77, is divisible by 7 --- so is the original number 959.
Step 3: If the number you get is still to big.. continue the process until you can determine if your number is divisible by 7.


To test for divisibility by 11
add the alternative digits beginning with the first
so let's try the following
4,378,396
Step 1: Add the alternate digits beginning with the 1st 4 + 7+ 3 + 6 = 20
Step 2: Add alternate digits beginning with the 2nd 3 + 8 + 9 = 20

Step 3: If the difference of the sums is divisible by 11 so is the original number.
In this case, 20-20 = 0 and 0/11= 0 so
4,378,396 is divisible by 11.


A good test for divisibility by 25 would be if the last two digits represent a multiple of 25.

A perfect number is one that is the SUM of all its factors except itself. The smallest perfect number is 6, since 6 = 1 + 2+ 3
The next perfect number is 28 since
28 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14
What is the next perfect number?