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CHAPTER 1
Working with whole numbers
In this chapter you will revise earlier work on:
•
•
•
•
addition and subtraction without a calculator
multiplication and division without a calculator
using positive and negative whole numbers (integers)
factors and multiples.
You will learn how to:
• decompose integers into prime factors
• calculate Highest Common Factors (HCFs) and Lowest Common
Multiples (LCMs) efficiently.
You will also be challenged to:
• investigate primes.
Starter: Four fours
Using exactly four fours, and usual mathematical symbols, try to make each
whole number from 1 to 100. Here are a few examples to start you off.
44
1 44
44
2 44
444
3 4
4 4 4 (4 4)
444
5 4
4
4
4
4
44
6 4 4
You should try to stick to basic mathematical symbols such as , , , and
brackets, wherever possible, but you may need to use more complicated
symbols such as and ! to make some of the higher numbers. Ask your teacher
if you need some help with these symbols.
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
1.1 Addition and subtraction without a calculator
You will sometimes need to carry out simple addition and subtraction problems in
your head, without a calculator. These examples show you some useful shortcuts.
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 19 6 21 4.
SOLUTION
When adding a string of numbers, look for combinations
that add together to give a simple answer. Here, 19 21
and 6 4 both give exact multiples of 10.
19 6 21 4 19 … 21
6…4
40 10
50
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 199 399.
SOLUTION
Both these numbers are close to exact multiples of 100,
so you can work out 200 400 and then make a small
adjustment.
199 399 200 1 400 1
200 … 400
1…1
600 2
598
EXAMPLE
Work out 257 98.
SOLUTION
98 is close to 100, so it is convenient to
take away 100, then add 2 back on.
257 98 257 100 2
157
2
159
Harder questions may require the use of pencil and paper methods, and you should
already be familiar with these. Remember to make sure that the columns are lined
up properly so that each figure takes its correct place value in the calculation.
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1.1 Addition and subtraction without a calculator
EXAMPLE
Work out 356 173.
SOLUTION
3 5 6
1 7 3
2 9
Work from right to left.
Add the units: 6 3 9
Next, the 10s column: 5 7 12
The digit 2 is entered, and the 1 is carried to the next column.
1
3 5 6
1 7 3
5 2 9
1
So 356 173 529
Finally, the 100s column: 3 1 1 5
Here are two slightly different ways of setting out a subtraction problem.
You should use whichever of these methods you prefer.
EXAMPLE
Work out 827 653.
SOLUTION
Method 1
8 2 7
6 5 3
4
7
For the units: 7 3 4
For the 10s: 2 5 cannot be done directly.
1
8 2 7
6 5 3
1 7 4
Exchange 10 from the 82 to give 70 and 12.
Now 12 5 7 and 7 6 1
So 827 653 174
Method 2
8 2 7
6 5 3
4
1
8 2 7
7
6 5 3
1 7 4
So 827 653 174
The first part is the same as method 1.
Instead of dropping 82 down to 72, you can make 65 up to 75.
Now 12 5 7 and 8 7 1
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
EXERCISE 1.1
Work out the answers to these problems in your head.
1 46 19 54 11
2 198 357 2
3 66 111 14
4 345 187 55
5 23 24 25 26 27
6 39 48 61 52
7 59 69 79
8 144 99
9 149 249
10 376 199
Use any written method to work out the answers to these problems. Show your working clearly.
11 274 89
12 456 682
13 736 473
14 949 477
15 1377 2557
16 3052 1644
17 6355 2471
18 2005 1066
19 An aircraft can carry 223 passengers when all the seats are full, but today 57 of the seats are empty.
How many passengers are on the aircraft today?
20 The attendances at a theatre show were 475 (Thursday), 677 (Friday) and 723 (Saturday).
How many people attended in total?
1.2 Multiplication without a calculator
You will sometimes need to carry out simple multiplication problems in your
head. This example shows one useful shortcut.
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 49 3.
49 is almost 50, so you can work out
50 3 then take off the extra 3.
SOLUTION
49 50 1
So 49 3 50 3 1 3
150 3
147
Harder questions will require pencil and paper methods. Here is a reminder of
how short multiplication works.
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 273 6.
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1.2 Multiplication without a calculator
SOLUTION
2 7 3
6
8
Begin with 3 6 18.
Enter as 8 with the 1 carried.
1
2 7 3
6
3 8
4
Next, 7 6 42, plus the 1 carried,
makes 43. Enter as 3 with the 4 carried.
1
2 7 3
6
1 6 3 8
1
4
1
So 273 6 1638
Finally, 2 6 12, plus the 4 carried,
makes 16. Entered as 6 with the 1
carried; enter this 1 directly into the
1000s column.
When working with bigger numbers, you will need to use long multiplication.
There are two good ways of setting this out – use whichever one you are most
confident with.
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 492 34.
SOLUTION
Method 1
4 9 2
3 4
1 9 6 8
1
3
4 9 2
3 4
1 9 6 8
0
4 9
3
1 9 6
1 4 7 6
2
2
4
8
0
4 9 2
3 4
1 9 6 8
1 4 7 6 0
1 6 7 2 8
1
First, multiply 492 by 4 to give 1968.
1
So 492 34 16 728
Next, prepare to multiply 492 by 30,
by writing a zero in the units
column. This guarantees that you are
multiplying by 30, not just 3.
492 times 3 gives 1476.
Finally, add 1968 and 14 760 to give the answer 16 728.
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
SOLUTION
Method 2
4
9
2
3
First, write 492 and 34 along the top and
down the end of a rectangular grid.
4
4
9
2
Next, add diagonal lines, as shown.
3
4
4
1
1
2
6
4
1
1
1
9
7
1
1
7
3
6
0
6 3
0
8 4
9
2
6
6
2
2
3
Within each square of the grid, carry
out a simple multiplication as shown.
For example, 9 times 3 is 27
2
2
7
6
2
0
6 3
00
88 4
8
Finally, add up the totals along each
diagonal, starting at the right and working
leftwards.
EXERCISE 1.2
Use short multiplication to work out the answers to these calculations.
1 144 3
2 254 4
3 118 6
4 227 8
5 326 7
6 420 5
7 503 4
8 443 9
Use any written method to work out the answers to these problems. Show your working clearly.
9 426 12
10 255 27
11 308 21
12 420 49
13 866 79
14 635 42
15 196 88
16 623 65
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1.3 Division without a calculator
17 A company has 23 coaches and each coach can carry 55 passengers.
What is the total number of passengers that the coaches can carry?
18 I have a set of 12 encyclopaedias. Each one has 199 pages.
How many pages are there in the whole set?
19 Joni buys 16 stamps at 19 pence each and 13 stamps at 26 pence each.
How much does she spend in total?
20 A small camera phone has a rectangular chip of pixels that collect and form the image.
The chip size is 320 pixels long and 240 pixels across.
Calculate the total number of pixels on the chip.
1.3 Division without a calculator
Division is usually more awkward than multiplication, but this example shows
a helpful method if the number you are dividing into (the dividend) is close to a
convenient multiple of the number you are dividing by (the divisor).
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 693 7.
SOLUTION
693 is almost 700, so you can work out
700 7 then take off the extra 7 7
693 is 700 7
So 693 7 700 7 7 7
100 1
99
In most division questions you will need to use a formal written method.
Here is an example of short division, with a remainder.
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 673 4.
SOLUTION
4673
First, set the problem up using this division bracket notation.
1
4623
7
Divide 4 into 6: it goes 1 time, with a remainder of 2.
1 6
462
7 33
1 68
462
7 33
Next, divide 4 into 27: it goes 6 times, with a
remainder of 3.
remainder 1
1
So 673 4 168 r 1 (or 1684)
Finally, divide 4 into 33: it goes 8 times, with
a remainder of 1.
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
When dividing by a number bigger than 10, it is usually easier to set the
working out as a long division instead. The next example reminds you how this
is done.
EXAMPLE
Work out the value of 3302 13.
SOLUTION
Begin by setting up the problem using division bracket notation.
133302
2
133302
26
7
2
133302
26
70
25
133302
26
70
65
5
254
133302
26
70
65
52
52
0
So 3302 13 254 exactly
13 will not divide into 3, so divide 13 into 33.
This goes 2 times, with remainder 7.
Bring down the next digit, 0 in this case, to
make the 7 up to 70.
13 divides into 70 five times, with remainder 5.
Finally, bring down the digit 2 to make 52.
13 divides into 52 exactly 4 times, with no
remainder.
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1.4 Positive and negative integers
EXERCISE 1.3
Use short division to work out the answers to these calculations. (Four of them should leave remainders.)
1 329 7
2 977 5
3 2686 9
4 28 845 3
5 1530 6
6 2328 8
7 1090 4
8 400 7
Use long division to work out the answers to these problems. Show your working clearly.
(Only the last two should leave remainders.)
9 7684 17
10 7581 19
11 3315 15
12 4956 21
13 5771 29
14 3600 25
15 7890 23
16 3250 24
17 750 grams of chocolate is shared out equally between 6 people. How much does each one receive?
18 In a lottery draw the prize of £3250 is shared equally between 13 winners. How much does each receive?
19 Seven children share 100 sweets in as fair a way as possible. How many sweets does each child receive?
20 On a school trip there are 16 teachers and 180 children. The teachers divide the children up into
equal-sized groups, as nearly as is possible, with one group per teacher. How many children are in each group?
1.4 Positive and negative integers
It is often convenient to visualise positive and negative whole numbers, or
integers, placed in order along a number line. The positive integers run to the
right of zero, and negative integers to the left:
11 10 9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
Smaller at this end…
Mathematicians describe numbers on the right of the number line as being
larger than the numbers on the left. This makes sense for positive numbers,
where 6 is obviously bigger than 4, for example, but care must be taken with
negative numbers. 4 is bigger than 6, for example, and 8 is smaller than 7.
You need to be able to carry out basic arithmetic using positive and negative
numbers, with and without a calculator. Many calculators carry two types of
minus sign key: one for marking a number as negative, and another for the
process of subtraction. So, in a calculation such as 6 5, you have to start
with the quantity 6 and then subtract 5. Subtraction means moving to the left
on the number line, so the answer is 6 5 11.
6
7
8
9
10
11
… larger at this end.
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
Take care when two minus signs are involved: the rule that ‘two minuses make
a plus’ is not always trustworthy. For example, 3 5 8 (two minuses
make even more minus!), whereas 3 5 3 5 2. So two adjacent
minus signs are equivalent to a single plus sign.
If two adjacent signs are the same: or then the overall sign is positive.
And if the signs are different: or then the overall sign is negative.
EXAMPLE
Without using a calculator, work out the values of:
a) 6 9
b) 4 5
c) 8 3
d) 5 6
SOLUTION
a) 6 9 3
c) 8 3 11
b) 4 5 1
d) 5 6 5 6 11
When multiplying or dividing with positive or negative numbers, it is usually
simplest to ignore the minus signs while you work out the numerical value of
the answer. Then restore the sign at the end.
If an odd number of negative numbers is multiplied or divided, the answer will
be negative.
If an even number of minus signs is involved, the answer will be positive.
EXAMPLE
Without using a calculator, work out the values of:
a) (5) (4)
b) (4) (3)
c) (8) (2)
d) 5 (4) (2)
SOLUTION
a)
b)
c)
d)
(5) (4) 20
(4) (3) 12
(8) (2) 4
5 (4) (2) 40
5 4 2 40 and there are two minus
signs, so the answer is positive.
EXERCISE 1.4
Without using a calculator, work out the answers to the following:
1 4 (6)
2 6 (3)
3 3 (2)
4 2 (1)
5 4 6
6 4 (5)
7 8 13
8 3 15
9 (5) 5
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1.5 Factors, multiples and primes
10 5 5
11 6 2
12 3 4
13 4 8
14 10 1
15 3 6
16 4 5
17 2 8
18 12 6
19 18 3
20 36 3
21 Arrange these in order of size, smallest first: 8, 3, 5, 1, 0.
22 Arrange these in order of size, largest first: 12, 13, 5, 9, 4.
23 What number lies midway between 4 and 12?
24 What number lies one-third of the way from 10 to 2?
1.5 Factors, multiples and primes
You will remember these definitions from earlier work:
A multiple of a number is the result of multiplying it by a whole number.
The multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12, 16,…
A factor of a number is a whole number that divides exactly into it, with no
remainder.
The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12.
A prime number is a whole number with exactly two factors, namely 1 and
itself. The number 1 is not normally considered to be prime, so the prime
numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11,…
If a large number is not prime, it can be written as the product of a set of prime
factors in a unique way. For example, 12 can be written as 2 2 3.
A factor tree is a good way of breaking a large number into its prime factors.
The next example shows how this is done.
EXAMPLE
Write the number 180 as a product of its prime factors.
SOLUTION
180
18
10
Begin by splitting the 180 into a product of two parts. You could
use 2 times 90, or 4 times 45, or 9 times 20, for example. The
result at the end will be the same in any case. Here we begin by
using 18 times 10.
Since neither 18 nor 10 is a prime number, repeat the factorising
process.
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
180
18
9
18 has been broken down into 9 times 2, and 10 into 2 times 5.
The 2s and the 5 are prime, so they are circled and the tree stops
there.
10
2
2
5
The 9 is not prime, so the process can continue.
180
18
9
3
10
2
2
5
The factor tree stops growing when all the branches
end in circled prime numbers.
3
Thus 180 2 2 3 3 5
2 2 32 5
22 means the factor 2 is used twice (two squared). If it had been
used three times, you would write 23 (two cubed).
EXERCISE 1.5
1 List all the prime numbers from 1 to 40 inclusive.
You should find that there are 12 such prime numbers altogether.
2 Use your result from question 1 to help answer these questions:
a) How many primes are there between 20 and 40 inclusive?
b) What is the next prime number above 31?
c) Find two prime numbers that multiply together to make 403.
d) Write 91 as a product of two prime factors.
3 Use the factor tree method to obtain the prime factorisation of:
a) 80
b) 90
c) 450
4 Use the factor tree method to obtain the prime factorisation of:
a) 36
b) 81
c) 144
What do you notice about all three of your answers?
5 When 56 is written as a product of primes, the result is 2a b where a and b are positive integers.
Find the values of a and b.
1.6 Highest common factor, HCF
Consider the numbers 12 and 20. The number 2 is a factor of 12, and 2 is also a
factor of 20. Thus 2 is said to be a common factor of 12 and 20.
Likewise, the number 4 is also a factor of both 12 and 20, so 4 is also a
common factor of 12 and 20.
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1.6 Highest common factor, HCF
It turns out that 12 and 20 have no common factor larger than this, so 4 is said
to be the highest common factor (HCF) of 12 and 20. You can check that
4 really is the highest common factor by writing 12 as 4 3 and 20 as 4 5;
the 3 and 5 share no further factors.
EXAMPLE
Find the highest common factor (HCF) of 30 and 80.
SOLUTION
By inspection, it looks as if the highest common factor may well be 10.
Check: 30 10 3, and 80 10 8
and clearly 3 and 8 have no further factors in common.
So HCF of 30 and 80 is 10
By inspection means that you can just spot the
answer by eye, without any formal working.
There is an alternative, more formal, method for finding highest common
factors. It requires the use of prime factorisation.
EXAMPLE
Use prime factorisation to find the highest common factor of 30 and 80.
SOLUTION
By the factor tree method: 30 2 3 5
Similarly, 80 24 5
Look at the 2’s: 30 has one of them, 80 has four.
Pick the lower number: one 2
So HCF of 30 and 80 2 5
10
Look at the 3’s: 30 has one of them, but 80 has none.
Pick the lower number: no 3s
Look at the 5’s: 30 has one of them, and 80 has one.
Pick the lower number: one 5
The prime factorisation method involves a lot of steps, but it is particularly
effective when working with larger numbers, as in this next example.
EXAMPLE
Use prime factorisation to find the highest common factor of 96 and 156.
SOLUTION
By the factor tree method: 96 25 3
and 156 22 3 13
HCF of 96 and 156 22 3
43
12
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
It is important to be able to use the prime factorisation method in case it appears
as an IGCSE examination question. You might like to try this ingenious
alternative approach. A Greek mathematician named Euclid used it 3500 years
ago, so it is often known as Euclid’s method.
EXAMPLE
Use Euclid’s method to find the HCF of 96 and 156.
SOLUTION
[96, 156] → [60, 96] → [36, 60] → [24, 36] → [12, 24] → [12, 12]
Begin by writing the two
numbers in a square bracket.
Each new bracket contains the smaller of
the two numbers, and their difference.
Stop when both numbers
are equal.
So HCF (96, 156) 12
EXERCISE 1.6
1 Use the method of inspection to write down the highest common factor of each pair of numbers.
Check your result in each case.
a) 12 and 18
b) 45 and 60
c) 22 and 33
d) 27 and 45
e) 8 and 27
f) 26 and 130
2 Write each of the following numbers as the product of prime factors. Hence find the highest common
factor of each pair of numbers.
a) 20 and 32
b) 36 and 60
c) 80 and 180
d) 72 and 108
e) 120 and 195
f) 144 and 360
3 Use Euclid’s method to find the highest common factor of each pair of numbers.
a) 12 and 30
b) 24 and 36
c) 96 and 120
d) 90 and 140
e) 78 and 102
f) 48 and 70
1.7 Lowest common multiple (LCM)
Consider the numbers 15 and 20.
The multiples of 15 are 15, 30, 45, 60, 75,…
The multiples of 20 are 20, 40, 60, 80,…
Any multiple that occurs in both lists is called a common multiple.
The smallest of these is the lowest common multiple (LCM). In this example,
the LCM is 60.
There are several methods for finding lowest common multiples. As with
highest common factors, one of these methods is based on prime factorisation.
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1.7 Lowest common multiple (LCM)
EXAMPLE
Find the lowest common multiple of 48 and 180.
SOLUTION
First, find the prime factors of each number using a factor tree if necessary.
48 24 3
180 22 32 5
Look at the powers of 2:
48 24 3
180 22 32 5
There are 4 factors of 2 in 48, but only 2
in 180. Pick the higher of these: 4
Next, the powers of 3:
48 24 3
180 22 32 5
There is 1 factor of 3 in 48, but 2 in 180.
Pick the higher of these: 2
Finally, the powers of 5:
48 24 3
180 22 32 5
There is no factor of 5 in 48, but 1 in 180.
Pick the higher of these: 1
Putting all of this together:
LCM of 48 and 180 24 32 5
16 9 5
144 5
720
An alternative method is based on the fact that the product of the LCM and the
HCF is the same as the product of the two original numbers. This gives the
following result:
ab
LCM of a and b HCF of a and b
This can be quite a quick method if the HCF is easy to spot.
EXAMPLE
Find the lowest common multiple of 70 and 110.
SOLUTION
By inspection, HCF is 10
So:
70 110
LCM 10
7 110
770
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
It is also possible to find the HCF and LCM of three (or more) numbers. The
prime factorisation method remains valid here, but other shortcut methods can
fail. This example shows you how to adapt the factorisation method when there
are three numbers.
EXAMPLE
Find the HCF and LCM of 16, 24 and 28.
SOLUTION
Write these as products of prime factors:
16 24
The lowest number of 2s from 24 or 23 or
22 is 22
24 23 3
28 22 7
HCF of 16, 24 and 28 is 22 4
LCM of 16, 24 and 28 is 24 3 7 16 21 336
The highest number of 2s from 24 or
23 or 22 is 24
EXERCISE 1.7
Find the lowest common multiple (LCM) of each of these pairs of numbers. You may use whichever method
you prefer.
1 12 and 20
2 16 and 26
3 18 and 45
4 25 and 40
5 36 and 48
6 6 and 20
7 14 and 22
8 30 and 50
9 36 and 60
10 44 and 55
11 16 and 36
12 28 and 42
13 18 and 20
14 14 and 30
15 27 and 36
16 33 and 55
17 a) Write 60 and 84 as products of their prime factors.
b) Hence find the LCM of 60 and 84.
18 a) Write 66 and 99 as products of their prime factors.
b) Hence find the LCM of 66 and 99.
c) Find also the HCF of 66 and 99.
19 a) Write 10, 36 and 56 as products of their prime factors.
b) Work out the Highest Common Factor, HCF, of 10, 36 and 56.
c) Work out the Lowest Common Multiple, LCM, of 10, 36 and 56.
20 a) Write 40, 48 and 600 as products of their prime factors.
b) Work out the Highest Common Factor, HCF, of 40, 48 and 600.
c) Work out the Lowest Common Multiple, LCM, of 40, 48 and 600.
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Review exercise 1
21 Virginia has two friends who regularly go round to her house to play. Joan goes round once every
4 days and India goes round once every 5 days. How often are both friends at Virginia’s house together?
22 Eddie owns three motorcycles. He cleans the Harley once every 8 days, the Honda once every 10 days and
the Kawasaki once every 15 days. Today he cleaned all three motorcycles. When will he next clean all
three motorcycles on the same day?
REVIEW EXERCISE 1
Work out the answers to these arithmetic problems, using mental methods. Written working not allowed!
1 315 198
2 467 99
3 17 88 83
4 455 379 145
5 1005 997
6 43 11
7 599 3
8 396 4
9 456 12
10 53 7 53 3
Use pencil and paper methods (not a calculator) to work out the answers to these arithmetic problems.
11 866 372
12 946 268
13 124 7
14 144 23
15 44 77
16 651 37
17 2484 9
18 6812 13
19 7854 21
20 1000 16
Work out the answers to these problems using negative numbers. Do not use a calculator.
21 (7) (14)
22 6 (3)
23 (10) (13)
24 12 9
25 13 6
26 5 8
27 144 16
28 256 (8)
29 7 4
30 (3)3
31 Use a factor tree to find the prime factorisation of:
a) 70
b) 124
c) 96
32 a) Find the Highest Common Factor (HCF) of 24 and 56.
b) Find the Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) of 24 and 56.
33 a) Write down the Highest Common Factor (HCF) of 20 and 22.
b) Hence find the Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) of 20 and 22.
34 a) Write 360 in the form 2a 3b 5c
b) Write 24 32 5 as an ordinary number.
d) 240
17
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Chapter 1: Working with whole numbers
35 Who is right? Explain carefully.
Not necessarily true.
If the HCF of two
numbers is 1, then they
must both be primes.
Chuck
Lilian
36 Pens cost 25p each. Mr Smith spends £120 on pens.
Work out the number of pens he gets for £120.
[Edexcel]
37 The number 1104 can be written as 3 2c d, where c is a whole number and d is a
prime number.
Work out the value of c and the value of d.
[Edexcel]
38 a) Express 72 and 96 as products of their prime factors.
b) Use your answer to part a) to work out the Highest Common Factor of 72 and 96.
[Edexcel]
Key points
1 Mental methods can be used for simple arithmetic problems. When adding up
strings of whole numbers, look for combinations that add up to multiples of 10.
2 Harder addition and subtraction problems require formal pencil and paper methods.
Make sure that you know how to perform these accurately.
3 Simple multiplication problems may be done mentally or by short multiplication. For
harder problems, you need to be able to perform long multiplication reliably. If you
find the traditional columns method awkward, consider using the box method
instead – both methods are acceptable to the IGCSE examiner.
4 Long division is probably the hardest arithmetic process you will need to master.
The traditional columns method is probably the best method – there are alternatives,
but they can be clumsy to use. If you have a long division by 23, say, then it may be
helpful to write out the multiples 23, 46, 69, …, 230 before you start.
5 Exam questions may require you to manipulate and order negative numbers.
Remember to treat the ‘two minuses make a plus’ rule with care, for example,
2 3 6, but 2 3 5.
6 Non-prime whole numbers may be written as a product of primes, using the factor
tree method. This leads to a powerful method of working out the Highest Common
Factor or Lowest Common Multiple of two numbers.
7 Sometimes you may be able to spot HCFs or LCMs by inspection. This result might
help you to check them:
ab
LCM of a and b HCF of a and b
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Internet Challenge 1
Internet Challenge 1
Prime time
Here are some questions about prime numbers. You may use the internet to help you research some of the
answers.
1 Find a list of all the prime numbers between 1 and 100, and print it out. How many prime numbers are
there between 1 and 100?
2 Find a list of all the prime numbers between 1 and 1000. How many prime numbers are there between
1 and 1000?
Compare your answers to questions 1 and 2. Does it appear that prime numbers occur less often as you go
up to larger numbers?
3 Why is 1 not normally considered to be prime?
4 How many British Prime Ministers had held office, up to the resignation of Gordon Brown in 2010?
Is this a prime number?
5 Is there an infinite number of prime numbers?
6 What is the largest known prime number?
7 Is there a formula for finding prime numbers?
8 Where is the Prime Meridian?
9 Find out how the Sieve of Eratosthenes works, and use it to make your own list of all the primes up to
100. Check your list by comparing it with the list you found in question 1.
10 Some primes occur in adjacent pairs, which are consecutive odd integers, for example, 11 and 13,
or 29 and 31. Find some higher examples of adjacent prime pairs. How many such pairs are there?
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