GRE Math Foundations Flashcards
How to divide a decimal
- Move the decimal point in the divisor to the right to form a whole number
- Move the decimal point in the dividend the same number of places.
- Divide as though there were no decimals, then place the decimal point in the quotient
Example: 6.25 / 2.5 = 62.5 / 25 = 2.5
Percent Formula
Part = % x Whole
Example: What is 12% of 25?
* (12/100) x 25 = 300/100 = 3
Percent Increase / Decrease Formulas
% increase = (Amount of increase / Original) whole x 100%
Example: The price goes up from $80 to $100. What’s the % increase?
* 20/80 x 100% = 0.25 x 100% = 25%
% decrease = (Amount of decrease / Original) whole x 100%
How to recognize multiples of 2
Last digit is even
How to recognize multiples of 3
Sum of digits is a multiple of 3
How to recognize multiples of 4
Last two digits are a multiple of 4
How to recognize multiples of 5
Last digit is 5 or 0
How to recognize multiples of 6
Sum of digits is a multiple of 3, and last digit is even.
How to recognize multiples of 9
Sum of digits is a multiple of 9
How to recognize multiples of 10
Last digit is 0
How to recognize multiples of 12
Sum of digits is a multiple of 3, and last two digits are a multiple of 4
How to find a COMMON FACTOR of two numbers
Break both numbers down to their prime factors to see which they have in common. Then multiply the shared prime factors to find all common factors.
Example: What factors greater that 1 do 135 and 225 in common?
1.135 = 3 x 3 x 3 x 5
2. 225 = 3 x 3 x 3 x 5
3. The numbers share 3 x 3 x 5
4. Aside from 3 and 5, the remaing commong factors can be found by multplying 3,3, and 5 in every possible combination. 3x3=9, 3x5=15, and 3x3x5=45
5. Therefore, the common factors are 3, 5, 9, 15, & 45
How to find LCM (Least Common Multiple)
Finding the prime factorization of each number, the seeing the greatest number of times each factor is used. Multiply each factor the greatest number of times it appears.
Example: What is the LCM of 28 and 42?
* 28 = 2 x 2 x 7
* 42 = 2 x 3 x 7
* LCM = 2 x 2 x 3 x 7 = 84
Average of consecutive numbers
The average of evenly spaced numbers is the average of the smallest and largest number.
Example: The average of all the integers from 13 to 77
* (13+77)/2 = 90/2 = 45
How to count Consecutive Numbers
The number of integers from A to B inclusive is B - A + 1
Example: How many integers are there from 73 through 419, inclusive?
* 419 - 73 + 1 = 347
Sum of Consecutive Numbers
Sum = (Average) x (Number of terms)
Example: What is the sum of the integers from 10 throught 50, inclusive?
* Average: (10 + 50) / 2 = 30
* Number of terms: 50 - 10 + 1 = 41
* Sum: 30 x 41 = 1,230
How to count the Number of Possibilities
You can use multiplication to find the number of possibilities when items can be arranged in various ways.
Example: How many 3 digit numbers can be formed with the digits 1, 3, and 5 each used only once?
* *_ _ _ > List the quantitiy of number possibilities for each digit. For the 1st digit, there are 3 options, for the 2nd, there are 2, and for the 3rd, there is 1. *
* Multiply the possibilities: 3 x 2 x 1 = 6