Number Properties :Factors, multiples , and Prime Factorization .

Studying for the quantitative section of the NMAT,CAT,CET,ETC requires remembering a few concepts from high school – concepts that you never thought you would need again. Number properties (or the properties of numbers) are probably one of those topics. Each number has a distinct set of properties attributed to it. For example, multiplying an odd number by an odd number always results in another odd number. For EXAM, there is no need to go into any proofs – it is sufficient to remember some of the key components of the number properties and work from there. Today, let’s talk about the attributes associated with Multiples and Factors – two concepts that beginning NMAT,CAT,CET,ETC students often confuse. Before we jump into each of these areas, let’s take a high-level look at the difference between factors and multiples. Let’s pick the number 8. What are the Factors of 8? 1, 2, 4, 8 What are the Multiples of 8? 8, 16, 24, 32, etc. The takeaway here is that Factors are the small guys – anything below the number in question that can be multiplied by another number to arrive at the destination “8”. Multiples are the BIG guys – anything above the number in question that is multiplied by another number. Memorize this distinction – you don’t want to be sitting there on test day trying to recall what was done in class regarding factors and multiples just to do a problem. Let’s look at these a little further… Factors It is important to be able to ‘translate’ Quantitative word problems into algebra on test day. Factors play an important part of this translation: X is a FACTOR of Y – meaning, x multiplied by another integer, will equal Y. Or, in algebraic terms: X * N = Y. Multiples In the same vein, translating  ‘multiples’ questions are also very important: X is a MULTIPLE of Y – meaning, Y * N = X. Notice the difference between the two algebraic expressions? A pretty big difference for Problem Solving questions; however, the same data points would be sufficient for a Data Sufficiency questions. Last concept for today: Prime Factorization Prime Factorization is another important concept in CAT.Let’s look at the number 30. 30 has the following factors: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, 30. Since Prime numbers are numbers that can not be divided by any number except for itself and 1, we see the prime factors of 30 are the following: 2, 3, 5. Every other factor can be divided further by those three prime numbers (i.e. 6 can be factorized as 2 & 3). Factors and Multiples are some of the Number Properties concepts you’ll see on test day. Don’t let relatively basic concepts throw you for a loop – the CAT isn’t testing your ability to Factor 5,312 – they are testing your ability to break down seeming complex situations into straight-forward mathematical arguments.     cat questions on number system with solutions number system for cat pdf number system for cat by nishit k sinha pdf number system for cat totalgadha number system for cat tutorial cat 4d number aptitude number system tricks pdf number system formula in maths