Monday 25th October 2021
BASIC NUMBER THEORY
1. ODD & EVEN NUMBERS:
Any integer is either odd or even. By odd, we mean the integer leaves a remainder of 1
when divided by 2, for example:
!
7 ÷ 2 = "= 3 remainder 1
This can be expressed in a simpler way:
Remainder Divisor
! #
7 ÷ 2 = "= 3 "
#
The number "is a rational number, another word for a rational number is a fraction. Even
numbers are integers when divided by 2 leave a remainder of zero, for example: – 6 ÷ 2 =
$%
"= – 3 remainder 0 = – 3
The integers alternate between odd and even, each integer is either odd or even, it cannot be
both.
–3–2–10123
odd even odd even odd even odd
The relationship between an even and odd number is straightforward. For example, 10 is an
even number. If 1 is added to 10 the result is 11 which is an odd number. Similarly, if 1 is
subtracted from 10 the result is 9 which is an odd number as well.
2. FACTORS OF AN INTEGER:
Factors are numbers we multiply to give another number, for example:
2×3=6
Therefore, 2 and 3 are factors of 6.
1×6=6
Then 1 and 6 are factors of 6. Alternatively, once a number is a factor of another, it can
divide the said number leaving a remainder of 0, for example
%
% % %
# = 6 remainder 0, " = 3 remainder 0, ' = 2 remainder 0, % = 1 remainder 0
Therefore, 1, 2, 3 and 6 are factors of 6.
The factors of a number can be obtained by the process of factorization. Factorization
of number is to separate a number into its factors. For example, the number 12 can be
expressed in different ways to obtain its factors:
12 = 1 × 12
12 = 2 × 6
12 = 3 × 4
Therefore, the factors of 12 are {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12}.
3. PRIME NUMBERS:
Integers with only two factors are called prime numbers. They can only be divided
by 1 and itself, for example
1 × 5 = 5 (the factors of 5 are 1 and 5)
The following are examples of prime numbers:
{2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31…}
The smallest prime number is 2. Once an integer is not prime it is said to be composite.
Different integers can have some of the same factors, these are called common
factors, for example:
Factors of 8: 1, 2, 4, 8
Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
1, 2 and 4 are the common factors of 8 and 12.
Every whole number can be made by multiplying prime numbers
4. COMPOSITE NUMBERS:
A composite number is a number that has 3 or more factors. For example, the factors
of 20 are {1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20}. Since the number 20 has 6 factors, 20 is a composite number.
5. DECOMPOSITION or FACTORIZATION:
Determining the prime numbers needed to be multiplied to give a particular whole
number is called decomposition or factorization. To decompose or factorize a whole
number, we can use a Factor tree. A Factor tree is a special diagram used to find prime
factors of a whole number, for example the factor tree for 30 is given by:
30
10 3
52
The numbers 2, 3 and 5 are prime since they can only be divided by 1 and themselves. This
factor tree shows that 30 = 2 × 3 × 5.
Alternatively, the decomposition or prime factorization of 30 can be done as
follows: 30 = 10 × 3 = 2 × 5 × 3 = 2 × 3 × 5
