Types of Numbers, Part 1

Which basic terms concerning numbers do I need to know for GMAT?

● Integers
● Decimals and fractions
● Positive and negative numbers
● Even and odd numbers
● Prime numbers
● Consecutive numbers
● Reciprocals

1. On the number line, the distance between x and y is greater than the
distance between x and z. Does z lie between x and y on the number
line?

(1) xyz < 0

(2) xy < 0

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not
sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not
sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

2. Is x > y?

(1) x > 0 and y > 0

𝑥
(2) 0 < 𝑦 < 1

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not
sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not
sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

What are the rules for even and odd numbers?

𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 × 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 = 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 × 𝑜𝑑𝑑 = 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 × 𝑜𝑑𝑑 = 𝑜𝑑𝑑

𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 + 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 = 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 + 𝑜𝑑𝑑 = 𝑜𝑑𝑑
𝑜𝑑𝑑 + 𝑜𝑑𝑑 = 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

The addition rules are easier to remember, if we think about them in

algebraic manner:
even number = 2a
odd number = 2b+1. Pay attention to this “1” in the formulas.

even + even = 2a+2b = 2(a+b) ← even

even + odd = 2a+2b+1 = 2(a+b)+1 ← odd
odd + odd = 2a+1+2b+1=2(a+b)+2=2(a+b+1) ← even

3. If m and n are integers, is x an integer?

(1) m is even
𝑚𝑛(𝑚−𝑛)
(2) 𝑥 = 2

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not
sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not
sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

What about 0?

● 0 is an integer
● 0 is even
 ● 0 is neither positive, nor negative

4. Is x > 0?

(1) x is an even integer

(2) -1 < x < 2

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not
sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not
sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

5. If the product of 10 integers equals 1, which of the following must be true?

I. The sum of these integers is positive.

II. The sum of these integers is even.
III. The sum of these integers is not equal to zero.

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

What is a prime number?

A prime number is a positive integer that has exactly two different positive
divisors: 1 and itself. For example, 2, 3, 5 are prime numbers, but 15 is not, since
15 has four different positive divisors, 1, 3, 5, and 15.

The prime numbers in the first hundred are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37,
41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97

What is important about prime numbers?

● 2 is the only even prime number

 ● there are infinitely many prime numbers
● 1 is NOT prime (it has only 1 divisor)
● 0 is NOT prime

6. If a and b are positive integers, and b is odd, is a odd?

(1) a+b is a prime number
(2) b > 2

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not
sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not
sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

*Advanced tip

Imagine, you need to determine whether integer 269 is prime or not. To know
that for sure, you have to divide 269 by all the prime numbers less than 269,
which is approximately 16. So, we check 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13. It is not divisible by any
of them, so 269 is prime.

What about 221?

What is ‘consecutive integers’?

● Consecutive integers are integers that follow each other in order. They
have a difference of 1 between every two numbers. E.g., 5, 6, 7 - are
three consecutive integers.
● The set {...-4, -2, 0, 2, 4, …} is a set of consecutive even integers
● The set {...-3, -1, 1, 3, 5, …} is a set of consecutive odd integers
● The set {...-6, -3, 0, 3, 6, …} is a set of consecutive multiples of 3

What is important about consecutive integers?

● The product of two consecutive integers is always even

● The product of three consecutive integers is always divisible by 3
(hence, by 6)
 ● The sum of three consecutive integers is always divisible by three

The last statement can be illustrated this way:

n, n+1, and n+2 are three consecutive integers.
n+n+1+n+2 = 3n+3, which is a multiple of 3.

7. S is a set of 7 consecutive integers {a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7}. What is the product
of these 7 integers?

(1) The greatest number in S equals 5

(2) a1 × a2 < 0

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not
sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not
sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

8. Mary wrote n consecutive integers, 52% of which are even. How many even
integers did Mary write?

(A) 26
(B) 25
(C) 15
(D) 13
(E) 12

9. Which of the following is false?

(A) The product of three consecutive integers can be negative.

(B) The product of two consecutive integers is can be NOT positive.
(C) The product of three consecutive integers is always divisible by 4.
(D) The sum of three consecutive integers is always divisible by 3.
(E) The sum of three consecutive integers can be odd.