Topic 02.

Divisibility Test

1. Summary
a) Divisibility

𝑎 ÷ 𝑏 = 𝑞 𝑅 𝑟 (0 ≤ 𝑟 < 𝑏)

The division without remainder: if 𝑟 = 0 The division with remainder: if 𝑟 ≠ 0

then a is divisible by b. then a is not divisible by b.

Denote: 𝑏 | 𝑎 Denote: 𝑏 ∤ 𝑎

a is a multiple of b

b is a factor of a

b) Divisibility Rules

Number Divisibility rule Number Divisibility rule

𝟐 The last digit is an even number. 𝟓 The last digit is either 0 or 5.
The last two digits of the number
The last two digits of the number
𝟒 𝟐𝟓 form a number that is divisible
form a number that is divisible by 4.
by 25.
The last three digits of the number
The last three digits of the number
𝟖 𝟏𝟐𝟓 form a number that is divisible
form a number that is divisible by 8.
by 125.
The sum of the digits of the number The sum of the digits of the
𝟑 𝟗
is divisible by 3. number is divisible by 9.
The difference between the sum of
The difference of twice the last digit
evenly placed digits and the sum of
𝟕 of the number and the remaining 𝟏𝟏
oddly placed digits is 0 or a multiple
digits is divisible by 7.
of 11.

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The number is divisible by both 2 The number is divisible by both 2
𝟔 𝟏𝟎
and 3. and 5.
The number is divisible by both 3 The number is divisible by both 2
𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟒
and 4. and 7.
The number is divisible by both 3 The number is divisible by both 2
𝟏𝟓 𝟏𝟖
and 5. and 9.
The number is divisible by both 3 The number is divisible by both 4
𝟐𝟒 𝟑𝟔
and 8. and 9.

Note:
• If a number is divisible by two numbers that are relatively prime, then it is divisible by the
product of those two numbers.
• “Relatively prime” means two numbers have no common factor other than 1.
c) Properties of Divisibility

• If 𝑎 | 𝑏 and 𝑏 | 𝑐, then 𝑎 | 𝑐.
• If 𝑎 | 𝑏 and 𝑐 | 𝑑, then 𝑎𝑐 | 𝑏𝑑.
• Bổ sung quy tắc nhân cùng 1 số
• If 𝑐 | 𝑎𝑏 where 𝑎 and 𝑐 are relatively prime (coprime), meaning the only common factor of
𝑎 and 𝑐 is 1, then 𝑐 | 𝑑.

VOCABULARY
English word Vietnamese meaning English word Vietnamese meaning
divisible divisibility rule
multiple relatively prime

2. Examples
Example 1. Divisibility Rule for 𝟐, 𝟒, 𝟖
Given the four-digit number 𝟏𝟕𝟖𝑵, how many possible values of 𝑵 are there
if:
(a) The number is divisible by 𝟒.

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 Solution: We have five numbers where the last digit is even:
80, 82, 84, 86, 88. Among them, only 80, 84, 88 are divisible by 4.
So 𝑁 has 3 values: 𝟎, 𝟒, 𝟖.
(b) The number is divisible by 𝟖.
Solution: We have five numbers where the last digit is even:
780, 782, 784, 786, 788. Among them, only 784 are divisible by
8. So 𝑁 has 3 values: 𝟒.
Try It! Given the five-digit number 𝟗𝟔𝟏𝟐𝑵, how many possible values
of 𝑵 are there if:
(a) The number is divisible by 𝟒.
(b) The number is divisible by 𝟖.

Example 2. Divisibility Rule for 𝟓, 𝟐𝟓, 𝟏𝟐𝟓

Given the six-digit number 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝑬𝑭𝟓, how many such six-digit numbers are
there?
(a) The number is divisible by 𝟐𝟓.
Solution: If the given number is divisible by 25, 𝐹5 should be divisible by
25.
So 𝐹 = 2.
We have 10 numbers:
𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟏𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟐𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟑𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟒𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟓𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟔𝟑𝟓,
𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟕𝟒𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟖𝟑𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟗𝟐𝟓.
(b) The number is divisible by 𝟏𝟐𝟓.
Solution: If the given number is divisible by 125, 𝐸𝐹5 should be divisible by
125.
125 × 1 = 125, 125 × 3 = 375, 125 × 5 = 625, 125 × 7 = 875.
We have 4 numbers:
𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟏𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟑𝟕𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟔𝟐𝟓, 𝟕𝟏𝟑𝟖𝟕𝟓.
Try It! Given the six-digit number 𝟗𝟓𝟏𝑬𝑭𝟎, how many such six-digit
numbers are there?
(a) The number is divisible by 𝟐𝟓.
(b) The number is divisible by 𝟏𝟐𝟓.

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Example 3. Divisibility Rule for 𝟑, 𝟗
What is the sum of all possible digits which could fill the blank in blank
𝟒𝟕,__𝟐𝟏 so that:
(a) The resulting five-digit number is divisible by 𝟑?
Solution: Let the digit be 𝑥, 4 + 7 + 𝑥 + 2 + 1 = 14 + 𝑥
𝑥 = 1, 4, 7 in order for 14 + 𝑥 to be divisible by 3.
The sum is 1 + 4 + 7 = 𝟏𝟐.
(b) The resulting five-digit number is divisible by 𝟗?
Solution: Let the digit be 𝑥, 4 + 7 + 𝑥 + 2 + 1 = 14 + 𝑥
𝑥 = 4 in order for 14 + 𝑥 to be divisible by 9.
Try It! What is the sum of all possible digits which could fill the blank
in blank 𝟏𝟐𝟖,__𝟐𝟔 so that:
(a) The resulting six-digit number is divisible by 𝟑?
(b) The resulting six-digit number is divisible by 𝟗?

Example 4. Divisibility Rule for 𝟕, 𝟏𝟏

Given that: 𝟕𝟓, 𝟒𝟐𝟕 and 𝟏𝟐𝟒, 𝟔𝟕𝟕.
(a)Which number is divisible by 𝟕.
Solution: The first number:
75,427: 7542 − 7 × 2 = 7542 − 14 = 7528
7528: 752 − 8 × 2 = 752 − 16 = 736
736: 73 − 6 × 2 = 73 − 12 = 61 (not divisible by 7).
The second number:
124,677: 12,467 − 7 × 2 = 12,467 − 14 = 12,453
12,453 ∶ 1245 − 3 × 2 = 1245 − 6 = 1239
1239: 123 − 9 × 2 = 123 − 18 = 105 (divisible by 7).
So the number is 𝟏𝟐𝟒, 𝟔𝟕𝟕.
(b) Which number is divisible by 𝟏𝟏.
Solution: The first number:
Let 𝑥 = 7 + 4 + 7 = 18, 𝑦 = 5 + 2 = 7.
𝑥 − 𝑦 = 11
Because 11 is divisible by 11, 𝟕𝟓, 𝟒𝟐𝟕 is divisible by 11.

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 The second number:
Let 𝑥 = 1 + 4 + 7 = 13, 𝑦 = 2 + 6 + 7 = 15.
𝑥 − 𝑦 = −2
Because −2 is not divisible by 11, 𝟏𝟐𝟒, 𝟔𝟕𝟕 is not divisible by 11.
Try It! Given that: 𝟕𝟓, 𝟒𝟐𝟓 and 𝟗𝟖𝟕, 𝟕𝟓𝟔.
(a) Which number is divisible by 𝟕.
(b) Which number is divisible by 𝟏𝟏.

Example 5. Divisibility Rule for 𝟔, 𝟏𝟎, 𝟏𝟐

What is the greatest three-digit number:
(a) That is divisible by 𝟔.
Solution: The number must be divisible by both 2 and 3. So the number is
even and the sum of its digits is divisible by 3. So the greatest
number three-digit number is 𝟗𝟗𝟔.
(b) That is divisible by 𝟏𝟎.
Solution: The number must be divisible by both 2 and 5. So the last digit is
0. So the greatest number three-digit number is 𝟗𝟗𝟎.
Try It! What is the greatest four-digit number:
(a) That is divisible by 𝟔.
(b) That is divisible by 𝟏𝟎.
(c) That is divisible by 𝟏𝟐.

Practice
Part 1. Multiple-choice Questions

Exercise 1. If 𝑘 is a positive integer divisible by 9, and if 𝑘 < 200, what is the greatest
possible value of 𝑘?
(A) 99 (B) 189 (C) 198 (D) 197
Exercise 2. Which of the following numbers can be used to show that the statement below
is FALSE?
All numbers that are divisible by both 𝟔 and 𝟗 are also divisible by 𝟓𝟒.
(A) 72 (B) 9 (C) 54 (D) 108

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Exercise 3. The four-digit number 6𝑏𝑏5 is divisible by 25. How many such four-digit numbers
are there?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3

Exercise 4. The five-digit number 31𝑑26 is divisible by 3. Find the sum of all possible values
of 𝑑.
(A) 14 (B) 15 (C) 16 (D) 18
Exercise 5. If 𝑥 is an integer and 3𝑥 is divisible by 15, which of the following must be true?
I. 𝑥 is divisible by 15.
II. 𝑥 is divisible by 5.
III. 𝑥 is an odd number.
(A) I only (B) II only (C) I and II only (D) I, II, and III
Exercise 6. If 𝑥 is divisible by 7 and 𝑦 is divisible by 8. Which of the following must be divisible
by 56?
I. 𝑥𝑦
II. 7𝑥 + 8𝑦
III. 8𝑥 + 7𝑦
(A) I only (B) III only (C) I and III only (D) I, II, and III

Exercise 7. What digit can replace 𝐾 in the number 9𝐾73𝐾0 so that 9𝐾73𝐾0 will be divisible
by 60?
(A) 4 (B) 3 (C) 2 (D) 1
Exercise 8. How many different 4-digit numbers can be formed using the digits 2, 4, 5, 6 and
7 such that no digits repeat and the number is divisible by 4?
(A) 24 (B) 36 (C) 22 (D) 120
Exercise 9. A four-digit number uses each of the digits 1,2,3 and 4 exactly once. What is the
probability that the number is a multiple of 4?
1 1 1 1
(A) (B) (C) (D)
2 3 4 5
Exercise 10. Given that 𝑚 and 𝑛 are digits, what is the sum of the values for 𝑚 and 𝑛 such

that the five-digit number 𝑚6,79𝑛 is divisible by 72?

(A) 3 (B) 7 (C) 10 (D) 5
Part 2. Short-answered Questions

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Exercise 1. 𝐴 and 𝐵 are non-zero digits for which 𝐴468𝐵05 is divisible by 11. What is 𝐴 + 𝐵?

Exercise 2. The three-digit number 2𝑎3 is added to the number 326 to give the three-digit numb

5𝑏9. If 5𝑏9 is divisible by 9, then 𝑎 + 𝑏 equal?

Exercise 3. A student practices the four musical notes as shown, starting with the note furthest
left and continuing in order from left to right. If the student plays these notes over and over
according to this pattern and stops immediately after playing the shaded note, which of the
following could be the total number of notes played?

Exercise 4. If the 4-digit number 273𝑋 is divisible by 12, what is the value of 𝑋?

Exercise 5. (TIMO 2018-2019) How many 3-digit numbers divisible by 5 but not divisible by 2 a
there?

Exercise 6. A 6-digit number, 𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑𝑒𝑓, is formed from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑𝑒𝑓 is divisible by 6.

𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑𝑒 is divisible by 5.

𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑 is divisible by 4.

𝑎𝑏𝑐 is divisible by 3.

𝑎𝑏 is divisible by 2.
What is 6-digit number?

Exercise 7. 𝑚1725𝑛 is divided by 4. The remainder is 5 when it is divided by 11. Find 𝑚 + 𝑛.

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Exercise 8. (TIMO 2018-2019) From 1 to 2018, how many integers are divisible by 3 and 4 but not
by 8?

Exercise 9. When a 3-digit number is written two times, is becomes a 6-digit number. Show that is
can be divided by 7.
Exercise 10. (TIMO 2018-2019) From 1 to 1000, how many integers are divisible by 3 and 5, but not
divisible by 9?

Part 3. Full-Solution Questions

Exercise 1. A 6-digit number, 53𝑎𝑏98, is divisible by 99. Find the values of 𝑎 and 𝑏.

Exercise 2. (hay) Spy 009 suddenly breaks into a security area locked by 7-digit number
code consisting of digits 2 and 3. The number of digit 2 is higher than the number of digit
3 and the code number is divisible by 3 and 4. Spy 009 has to find the code and unlock I
successfully at once, otherwise, he will be exposed and caught due to the ringing alert bell.
Let’s help the spy to unlock the code.

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Exercise 3. Ann has to fill 9 natural numbers from 1 to 9 in 9 circles as shown below so that
the sum of three numbers on the same lines is divisible by 9. Which number can be filled in
the circle marked “?” ?