A SIMPLE, RECURSIVE FORMULA FOR GENERATING DIVISIBILITY RULES

IN BASE 10 FOR ANY INTEGER RELATIVELY PRIME TO THE INTEGER 10

Carey Briggs
Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Abstract. A simple, recursive formula is presented for generating divisibility rules in base 10 for any integer relatively prime to the integer 10.
PACS numbers: 02.10.De, 02.10.Lh; MSC numbers: 00A05, 00A06, 00A08, 00A99, 11A99
This paper (cf. Briggs
1
) presents a simple, recursive formula for
generating divisibility rules in base 10 for any integer M relatively
prime to the integer 10 (= 2 5). (The integer M need not be
prime itself.)
For simplicity, but with no loss of generality, let M 3, and let
the arbitrary integer N 3 as well. The formula in question is then
contained in the statement that N is divisible by M if N is divisible
by M, where
N =
N Mod(N, 10
B
)
10
B
( ) m(M, B) + A M Mod(N, 10
B
),
where, for integers X and Y (with Y 0),
Mod(X, Y) = X mod Y = X (mod Y) = X modulo Y
(i.e., the remainder upon dividing X by Y), A is an arbitrary
integer, and B is an arbitrary positive integer, and where
2
m(M, 1) =
m(M) M 1
10
,
where
3
m(M) = Mod(14 + 3 Mod(M, 10), 16)
= Mod( 2 + 3 Mod(M, 10), 16),
whereas
m(M, B) =
[ ] 1 + 10
B 1
( ) 10 Mod(m(M, B 1), 10) ( ) 1 + 10
B 1
m(M, B 1) 1
10
B
=
( ) 1 + 10
B
10
B 1
Mod(m(M, B 1), 10) ( ) 1 + 10
B 1
m(M, B 1) 1
10
B
=
10 ( ) 10 Mod(m(M, B 1), 10) + m(M, B 1) ( ) 10 + 10
B + 1
10
B
Mod(m(M, B 1), 10)
100
= 1 +
m(M, B 1)
10
+ 10
B 1
m(M, B 1)
Mod(m(M, B 1), 10)
10
10
B 2
m(M, B 1) Mod(m(M, B 1), 10)
= 1 +

m(M, B 1)
10
+ 10
B 2
m(M, B 1) ( ) 10 Mod(m(M, B 1), 10)
for B > 1, where the symbol

m(M, B 1)
10
represents the integer part of
m(M, B 1)
10
.
4
The divisibility rule itself
5
can then be statedcolloquiallyas
follows: The integer N is divisible by the integer M if
m(M, B) + A M
times the last B digits of N subtracted from the rest of N is
divisible by M. Here, to be sure, the expression the last B digits
of N means the integer given by
Mod(N, 10
B
),
while the expression the rest of N means the integer given by
N Mod(N, 10
B
)
10
B
.
1
Briggs, C. C., Simple Divisibility Rules for the 1
st
1000 Prime Numbers, math.GM/0001012.
2
The quantity m(M, 1) here differs in sign from the corresponding quantity appearing in Briggs, ibid.
3
Note that m(M) =

1, if Mod(M, 10) = 1
3, if Mod(M, 10) = 7
7, if Mod(M, 10) = 3
9, if Mod(M, 10) = 9
.
4
That is, the largest integer
m(M, B 1)
10
.
5
As generated by means of the preceding formula.