Browse · MATH
Printjmc
number theory junior
Problem
How many integers 1-9 are divisors of the five-digit number 24,516?
Solution
We know that 24,516 is divisible by 1. Since 24,516 is even, it is also divisible by 2. The sum of the digits of 24,516 is . A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 3, so 24,516 is divisible by 3. For a number to be divisible by 4, its last two digits must be divisible by 4. Because 16 is divisible by 4, so is 24,516. 24,516 is not divisible by 5 because it does not end in a 5 or 0. It is divisible by 6 because it was divisible by 2 and 3. In order to see if a number is divisible by 7, it is necessary to double the last digit and subtract that value from the original number without the units digit. (In this case, the original number without the units digit is 2451.) If the resulting number is divisible by 7, then so is the original number. When 12 is subtracted from 2451, we get . Since it is still not clear whether this number is divisible by 7, we repeat the process: and . We can now see that 24,516 is not divisible by 7. In order for a number to be divisible by 8, its last three digits must be divisible by 8. Since 516 is not divisible by 8, neither is 24,516. Because the sum of the digits in 24,516 is divisible by 9, 24,516 is divisible by 9. We conclude that 24,516 is divisible by of the integers from 1 to 9.
Final answer
6