How to Tell If a Number is Divisible by 2 or 3

There are many types of problems in life that require dividing one number by another. But
sometimes, we dont actually need to do the divisionwe just need to know if its even
possible to do the division in the first place. In these situations, you can save yourself time
and trouble by learning a few quick and dirty tips. So today were kicking things off by
looking at how to quickly tell if a number is divisible by 2 or 3.
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What Does it Mean for a Number to be Divisible?

Before we get to testing for divisibility, lets first make sure we understand what divisibility
actually means. As you know, whenever youmultiply two numbers together, you get another
number. So, in a way, you can think of the process of multiplying numbers as a means of
building new numbers. For example, in 3 x 7 = 21 the product of the numbers 3 and 7
build the number 21.
Whenever a number can be built from other numbers like this, it obviously must be true
that we can also divide the number by one of those building numbers to get the other
building number. In other words, in this case, we can divide 21 by 7 to get 3, or we can
divide 21 by 3 to get 7. When a number can be divided evenly by another number like this,
we say that the number is divisible by that number. So, in this case, 21 is evenly divisible
by both 3 and 7 since 21/3 is exactly equal to the whole number 7 and 21/7 is exactly equal
to the whole number 3.

How to Tell if a Number is Divisible by 2

Now that we understand what were trying to test for, lets turn our attention to actually
doing the testing. Up first, lets talk about how to quickly tell whether or not a number is
divisible by 2. The quick and dirty tip is that all even numbers are divisible by 2. That
means that any number whose final digit is a 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 must be divisible by 2. So now
right awaywithout doing any divisionwe can tell that the number 1,018 (which is even)
must be divisible by 2, while the number 1,033 (which is odd) is not.

Why does this work? Well, in this case the answer is pretty intuitive; but lets talk about it a
little to help prepare us to understand the divisibility tests for bigger integers that well soon
see. The important thing to notice is that when we divide an even number by 2, the
remainder is always 0; and when we divide an odd number by 2, the remainder is always 1.
If you think about this for a minute, youll see that we can use that information to conclude
that a number is only divisible by 2 if it is evensince it wont have a remainder.
For the math whizzes out there, youll notice that we could just as well have summed this all
up using the connection between modular arithmetic and remainders that we talked about
in the past few weeks to say that a number is only divisible by 2 if that number modulo 2 is
congruent to 0.

How to Tell if a Number is Divisible by 3

Lets now talk about how to test if a number is divisible by 3. The quick and dirty tip to
check for divisibility by 3 is to see if the sum of all the digits in the number is divisible by 3.
If so, the number itself must also be divisible by 3. For example, is 1,529 divisible by 3? Well,
the sum of the digits of 1,529 is 1+5+2+9=17. Since 17 is not divisible by 3, we can conclude
that 1,529 is also not divisible by 3. How about 1,530? Well, this time the sum is
1+5+3+0=9. Since 9 is divisible by 3, we know that 1,530 is divisible by 3 too.

Why Does the Divisibility by 3 Test Work?

But why does this work? Well, to find out lets take a look at the number 111. First, since
1+1+1=3 is divisible by 3, we can immediately tell that 111 must be divisible by 3 too. To help
us see why this works, lets write 111 in a funny way (youll see why in a minute):
111 = 100 + 10 + 1
Now, lets do one more thing thats even a little weirder. Lets use the fact that 10 = 9+1 and
that 100 = 99+1 to write this sum for 111 as
111 = 99+1 + 9+1 + 1
What does this do for us? Well, believe it or not, writing 111 like this is extremely useful
since it allows us to look at the problem 111/3 in a very interesting way.
In particular, if you think about it for a minute, youll see that any number of 9s or any
number of 99s can always be evenly divided by 3. So since we know that the 9s and 99s are
divisible by 3, the only question is whether the sum of everything thats not a 9 or a 99 is
divisible by 3 too. If it is, then since all the parts are divisible by 3, the whole thing must be
divisible by 3! And notice that the only things in the sum 111 = 99+1 + 9+1 + 1 that arent 9s
or 99s are the three 1sprecisely the digits of the number 111.

Try breaking apart some other numbers like this for yourself and youll see that they can all
be written as some number of 9s, plus some number of 99s, plus some number of 999s (for
larger numbers), and so on, plus some other stuff that will always be the digits of the
original number. Thats precisely where the quick and dirty tip comes from!

How Modular Arithmetic Can Explain Divisibility by 3

[[AdMiddle]Once again, for the math superstars out there, notice that we could have written
this whole explanation using the language of modular arithmetic that we talked about in
previous articles. In particular, 111 is only divisible by 3 if 111 mod 3 is congruent to 0. And
since going around a modulus 3 clock any number of 9s, 99s, 999s, and so on always leaves
you exactly where you started, the only thing that matters is whether the sum of the digits in
the original number also leave you where you started. If so, then the number is divisible by
3. Who knew modular arithmetic was so useful!

Practice Problems
Okay, thats all the time we have for today. But before we finish up, here are a few practice
problems to help you test your divisibility testing skills:
1.

Is 213 divisible by 2? ____ (Yes/No) By 3? ____ (Yes/No)

2.

Is 2,023,182 divisible by 2? ____ (Yes/No) By 3? ____ (Yes/No)

3.

Is 1,109 divisible by 2? ____ (Yes/No) By 3? ____ (Yes/No)

You can find the answers at the very end of this article. After checking them, feel free to
leave a comment at the bottom of the page and let me know how you did.

Wrap Up
If you have questions about how to solve these practice problems or any other math
questions, please email them to me atmathdude@quickanddirtytips.com, send them via
Twitter, or become a fan of the Math Dude on Facebook and get help from me and the other
math fans there.
Until next time, this is Jason Marshall with The Math Dudes Quick and Dirty Tips to Make
Math Easier. Thanks for reading math fans!

Practice Problem Solutions

1.

1. Is 213 divisible by 2? No. By 3? Yes.

2.

2. Is 2,023,182 divisible by 2? Yes. By 3? Yes.

3.

3. Is 1,109 divisible by 2? No. By 3? No.

Divisibility
Problem:

Is the number 621 prime or composite?

Method:

In the last lesson, we learned to find all factors of a whole

number to determine if it is prime or composite. We used
the procedure listed below.
To determine if a number is prime or composite, follow
these steps:
1.

Find all factors of the number.

2.

If the number has only two factors, 1 and itself, then it is prime.

3.

If the number has more than two factors, then it is composite.

The above procedure works very well for small numbers. However, it would be timeconsuming to find all factors of 621. Thus we need a better method for determining if a large
number is prime or composite. Every number has one and itself as a factor. Thus, if we could
find one factor of 621, other than 1 and itself, we could prove that 621 is composite. One way
to find factors of large numbers quickly is to use tests for divisibility.
Definition

Example

One whole number is divisible by another if,

after dividing, the remainder is zero.

18 is divisible by 9 since 18 9 =
2 with a remainder of 0.

If one whole number is divisible by another

number, then the second number is a factor
of the first number.

Since 18 is divisible by 9, 9 is a
factor of 18.

A divisibility test is a rule for determining

whether one whole number is divisible by
another. It is a quick way to find factors of
large numbers.

Divisibility Test for 3: if the sum

of the digits of a number is
divisible by 3, then the number is
divisible by 3.

We can test for divisibility by 3 (see table above) to quickly find a factor of 621
other than 1 and itself. The sum of the digits of 621 is 6+2+1 = 9. This
divisibility test and the definitions above tell us that...

621 is divisible by 3 since the sum of its digits (9) is divisible by 3.

Since 621 is divisible by 3, 3 is a factor of 621.

Since the factors of 621 include 1, 3 and 621, we have proven that 621 has more

than two factors.

Since 621 has more than 2 factors, we have proven that it is composite.

Let's look at some other tests for divisibility and examples of each.
Divisibility Tests

Example

A number is divisible by 2 if the last

digit is 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.

168 is divisible by 2 since the last digit

is 8.

A number is divisible by 3 if the sum

of the digits is divisible by 3.

168 is divisible by 3 since the sum of

the digits is 15 (1+6+8=15), and 15 is
divisible by 3.

A number is divisible by 4 if the

number formed by the last two digits
is divisible by 4.

316 is divisible by 4 since 16 is divisible

by 4.

A number is divisible by 5 if the last

digit is either 0 or 5.

195 is divisible by 5 since the last digit

is 5.

A number is divisible by 6 if it is
divisible by 2 AND it is divisible by 3.

168 is divisible by 6 since it is divisible

by 2AND it is divisible by 3.

A number is divisible by 8 if the

7,120 is divisible by 8 since 120 is
number formed by the last three digits divisible by 8.
is divisible by 8.
A number is divisible by 9 if the sum
of the digits is divisible by 9.

549 is divisible by 9 since the sum of

the digits is 18 (5+4+9=18), and 18 is
divisible by 9.

A number is divisible by 10 if the last 1,470 is divisible by 10 since the last

digit is 0.
digit is 0.

Let's look at some examples in which we test the divisibility of a single whole number.
Example 1:

Determine whether 150 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10.

150 is divisible by 2 since the last digit is 0.
150 is divisible by 3 since the sum of the digits is 6 (1+5+0 = 6), and 6 is divisible by 3.
150 is not divisible by 4 since 50 is not divisible by 4.
150 is divisible by 5 since the last digit is 0.
150 is divisible by 6 since it is divisible by 2 AND by 3.
150 is not divisible by 9 since the sum of the digits is 6, and 6 is not divisible by 9.
150 is divisible by 10 since the last digit is 0.

Solution:

150 is divisible by 2, 3, 5, 6, and 10.

Example 2:

Determine whether 225 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10.

225 is not divisible by 2 since the last digit is not 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.
225 is divisible by 3 since the sum of the digits is 9, and 9 is divisible by 3.
225 is not divisible by 4 since 25 is not divisible by 4.
225 is divisible by 5 since the last digit is 5.
225 is not divisible by 6 since it is not divisible by both 2 and 3.
225 is divisible by 9 since the sum of the digits is 9, and 9 is divisible by 9.
225 is not divisible by 10 since the last digit is not 0.

Solution:
Example 3:

225 is divisible by 3, 5 and 9.

Determine whether 7,168 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.
7,168 is divisible by 2 since the last digit is 8.
7,168 is not divisible by 3 since the sum of the digits is 22, and 22 is not divisible by 3.
7,168 is divisible by 4 since 168 is divisible by 4.
7,168 is not divisible by 5 since the last digit is not 0 or 5.
7,168 is not divisible by 6 since it is not divisible by both 2 and 3.
7,168 is divisible by 8 since the last 3 digits are 168, and 168 is divisible by 8.
7,168 is not divisible by 9 since the sum of the digits is 22, and 22 is not divisible by 9.
7,168 is not divisible by 10 since the last digit is not 0 or 5.

Solution:

7,168 is divisible by 2, 4 and 8.

Example 4:

Determine whether 9,042 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.

9,042 is divisible by 2 since the last digit is 2.
9,042 is divisible by 3 since the sum of the digits is 15, and 15 is divisible by 3.
9,042 is not divisible by 4 since 42 is not divisible by 4.
9,042 is not divisible by 5 since the last digit is not 0 or 5.
9,042 is divisible by 6 since it is divisible by both 2 and 3.
9,042 is not divisible by 8 since the last 3 digits are 042, and 42 is not divisible by 8.
9,042 is not divisible by 9 since the sum of the digits is 15, and 15 is not divisible by 9.
9,042 is not divisible by 10 since the last digit is not 0 or 5.

Solution:

9,042 is divisible by 2, 3 and 6.

Example 5: Determine whether 35,120 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.

35,120 is divisible by 2 since the last digit is 0.
35,120 is not divisible by 3 since the sum of the digits is 11, and 11 is not divisible by

3.
35,120 is divisible by 4 since 20 is divisible by 4.
35,120 is divisible by 5 since the last digit is 0.
35,120 is not divisible by 6 since it is not divisible by both 2 and 3.
35,120 is divisible by 8 since the last 3 digits are 120, and 120 is divisible by 8.
35,120 is not divisible by 9 since the sum of the digits is 11, and 11 is not divisible by
9.
35,120 is divisible by 10 since the last digit is 0.
Solution:

35,120 is divisible by 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10.

Example 6: Is the number 91 prime or composite? Use divisibility when possible to find
your answer.
91 is not divisible by 2 since the last digit is not 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.
91 is not divisible by 3 since the sum of the digits (9+1=10) is not divisible by
3.
91 is not evenly divisible by 4 (remainder is 3).
91 is not divisible by 5 since the last digit is not 0 or 5.
91 is not divisible by 6 since it is not divisible by both 2 and 3.
91 divided by 7 is 13.
Solution:

The number 91 is divisible by 1, 7, 13 and 91. Therefore 91 is composite

since it has more than two factors.

Summary: Divisibility tests can be used to find factors of large whole numbers quickly,
and thus determine if they are prime or composite. When working with large
whole numbers, tests for divisibility are more efficient than the traditional
factoring method.