AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24.

Factors and Divisors

1. BASIC KNOWLEDGE

1.1. Terms

Factors: Factors are the numbers you multiply together to get the product.

1× 12 = 2 × 6 = 3 × 4 = 12 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 are factors of 12.

Divisor: A divisor is a number which divides the given number without leaving
any remainder.
6 6 6 6
6 3 2 1.
1 2 3 6

The denominators 1, 2, 3, and 6 are called the divisors of the numerator 6.

Note: A factor of the number is the same as a divisor of the number.

Multiple: Multiples are the products when you multiply two or more numbers.

24 = 1 × 24 = 2 × 12 = 3 × 8 = 4 × 6 24 is a multiple of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and

24.

Prime factorizations: Prime factorization of a number is to express the number

as a product of factors that are all prime.

2016 = 32 × 63 = 25 × 32 7. 1001 = 7 11 13.

1.2. Theorems

Theorem 1. Fundamental theorem of arithmetic

Any composite number, besides 0 and 1, can be written as a product of prime
numbers. And this expression is unique.

Theorem 2:
If a b, a c, then a (jb + kc), and j, k are any integers.

1
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

1.3. Formulas for divisors

Number of divisors

For an integer n greater than 1, let the prime factorization of n be

n p1a p2b p3c pkm , where a, b, c m are nonnegative integers, p1, p2 k
are prime numbers, the number of divisors is:
d (n) (a 1)(b 1)(c 1) (m 1) (24.1)

Number of even divisors and number of odd divisors

For n 2 j p1a p2b p3c .... pkm , where and m are nonnegative integers, and
p1, p2 pk are prime numbers other than 2,
if j = 0, then the number of even divisors is zero.
if j = 1, the number of even divisors is: de (n) (a 1)(b 1)(c 1) (m 1)
if j > 1, the number of even divisors is: de (n) j (a 1)(b 1)(c 1) (m 1)
The number of odd divisors is do (n) (a 1)(b 1)(c 1) (m 1)
Where d (n) de (n) do (n)

Number of divisors that are the multiple of m

Steps: (1) Prime factorization of the given number. (2) Take out one m. (3)
Calculate the number of factors of the remaining number.

Number of divisors that are square numbers

Steps: (1) Prime factorization of the given number. (2) Group all integers with an
even exponent and write them in the form of N2. (3) Take out all integers left
over. (4) Calculate the number of factors of N.

Number of divisors that are cubic numbers

Steps: (1) Prime factorization of the given number. (2) Group all integers with an
odd exponent that is a multiple of 3 and write them in the form of N3. (3) Take out
all integers left over. (4) Calculate the number of factors of N.

2
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Sum of divisors
p1a 1 1 p2b 1 1 pkm 1 1
The sum of divisors is: (n) ( )( ) ( ) (24.2)
p1 1 p2 1 pk 1
Since we know a n 1 (a 1)(a n 1
an 2
... a 0 )
a a 1 0 b b 1 0 m m 1 0
So (n) ( p1 p1 ... p1 )( p2 p2 ... p2 )...( pk pk ... pk )

Product of the divisors

( a 1)( b 1)( c 1) ( m 1)
a b c m
The product of the divisors is: (n) ( p p p 1 2 3 p )
k
2
(24.3)

1.4. Table of factors of counting numbers 1 to 100

Number Counting numbers Number Property

of of
factors counting
numbers
1 1 1 Square
number
2 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 25 Prime
43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97 number
3 4, 9, 25, 49 4 Square of
a prime
4 6, 8, 10, 14, 15, 21, 22, 26, 27, 33, 34, 35, 32
38, 39, 46, 51, 55, 57, 58, 62, 65, 69, 74, 77,
82, 85, 86, 87, 91, 93, 94, 95
5 16, 81 2 Square
number
6 12, 18, 20, 28, 32, 44, 45, 50, 52, 63, 68, 75, 16
76, 92, 98, 99
7 64 1 Square
number

3
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

8 24, 30, 40, 42, 54, 56, 66, 70, 78, 88 10

9 36, 100 2 Square
number
10 48, 80 2
11 0
12 60, 72, 84, 90, 96 5

2. EXAMPLES

2.1. Factors, Squares, and Cubes

Example 1. The number of distinct positive integral divisors of (60)4 excluding 1

and (60)4 is
(A) 225 (B) 45 (C) 223 (D) 130 (E) none of these

Example 2. Let N = 10002 + 1000 + 1001. How many positive integers are factors
of N?
(A) 6 (B) 8 (C) 15 (D) 24 (E) 27

Example 3. 2k is a divisor of 2016. Find the largest possible value for k2.
(A) 8 (B) 16 (C) 32 (D) 25 (E) 64

4
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 4. Suppose that m and n are positive integers such that 150m = n3. What
is the minimum possible value of m + n ?
(A) 15 (B) 30 (C) 60 (D) 210 (E) 520

Example 5. The smallest positive integer x for which 2016x = N3, where N is an
integer, is
(A) 105 (B) 126 (C) 122 (D) 294 (E) 441

Example 6. Find the probability that a randomly drawn positive factor of 84 is

less than 11.
1 1 1 1 1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
10 6 4 3 2

5
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 7. The prime factorization of a certain number is 22 · 32 · 5. How many

of its positive integral factors are perfect squares?
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5

Example 8. How many odd perfect square factors does 24 36 510 have?
(A) 24 (B) 6 (C) 12 (D) 14 (E) 18

Example 9. How many perfect squares are divisors of the product 1! 2! 3! 4!

5! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! ?
(A) 4320 (B) 2160 (C) 1080 (D) 912 (E) 864

6
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 10. (AMC 12) Let p, q and r be distinct prime numbers, where 1 is not
considered a prime. Which of the following is the smallest positive perfect cube
having n = pq2r4 as a divisor?
(A) p8 q8 r8 (B) ( pq2 r2)3 (C) ( p2 q2 r2 )3 (D) (pqr2)3 (E) 4p3 q3 r3

Example 11. How many positive cubes divide 3! 5! 7! 9!?

(A) 6 (B) 13 (C) 24 (D) 30 (E) 36

7
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 12. What is the sum of the positive integral divisors of 36?
(A) 82 (B) 83 (C) 85 (D) 87 (E) 91

2.2. Factors and Integers

Example 13. Find the smallest positive integer with exactly eight positive integer
divisors.
(A) 24 (B) 30 (C) 40 (D) 54 (E) 22

Example 14. Find the sum of all positive two-digit integers with exactly 12
divisors.
(A) 424 (B) 430 (C) 432 (D) 402 (E) 422

8
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 15. (AMC 12B) A positive integer n has 60 divisors and 7n has 80
divisors. What is the greatest integer k such that 7k divides n?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Example 16. (AIME) Let m/n, in lowest terms, be the probability that a randomly
chosen positive divisor of 1099 is an integer multiple of 1088. Find
m + n.

9
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

2.3. Reducible Or Irreducible Fraction

72
Example 17. For how many positive integers n will also be an integer?
n
(A) 16 (B) 12 (C) 8 (D) 4 (E) 3

36
Example 18. How many natural numbers n will make a natural number?
2n 1
(A) 9 (B) 8 (C) 4 (D) 2 (E) 1

10
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

n 11
Example 19. Find the least positive integer n for which is a non-zero
6n 7
reducible fraction.
(A) 45 (B) 68 (C) 155 (D) 226 (E) none of these

21n 4
Example 20. (IMO) Prove that the fraction is irreducible for every
14n 3
natural number n.

11
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

x2 2 x 15
Example 21. What is the greatest integer value of x such that is an
x 5
integer?
(A) 45 (B) 68 (C) 15 (D) 25 (E) none of these

n
Example 22. For how many integers n is the square of an integer?
52 n
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 10

12
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 23. (ARML) There are exactly five positive integers n such that
(n 1) 2
is an integer. Compute the largest such n.
n 23

13
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

2n 1
Example 24. For how many positive integers n is a non-zero reducible
2n(n 1)
fraction ?
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 0

Example 25. (AIME) Find 3x2y2 if x and y are integers such that y2 + 3x2y2 = 30x2
+ 517.

14
AMC 10 Preparation Chapter 24. Factors and Divisors

Example 26. (AIME) What is the largest positive integer n for which n3 + 100 is
divisible by n + 10?

15