Divisors are important concepts in mathematics. A divisor of a number is any integer that can be divided evenly into that number, leaving no remainder. Understanding divisors helps with various areas of math, such as factoring, simplifying fractions, and finding common factors. This article aims to explain what divisors are, how to find them for the number 72, and present the results clearly.
To understand divisors better, we first need to explore the idea of division. In division, we break down a number (called the dividend) into equal parts. The number we are dividing by is called the divisor, and the result or answer we get is called the quotient. For example, if we have the number 72 and want to divide it by 8, we write this as:
72 / 8 = 9
In this case, 72 is the dividend, 8 is the divisor, and 9 is the quotient. This means that if we divide 72 into 8 equal parts, each part will be 9.
To find the divisors of 72, we will divide 72 by every integer starting from 1 all the way up to 72. If the result of the division (the quotient) is a whole number (meaning it has no decimal), then that integer is a divisor of 72.
Let’s go through the steps of calculating the divisors of 72:
1. Start with 1 and go up to 72.
2. For each integer \( n \) (where \( n \) ranges from 1 to 72), divide 72 by \( n \).
3. Check if the result is a whole number.
Now, let’s perform these divisions:
1. 72 / 1 = 72 (whole number, so 1 is a divisor)
2. 72 / 2 = 36 (whole number, so 2 is a divisor)
3. 72 / 3 = 24 (whole number, so 3 is a divisor)
4. 72 / 4 = 18 (whole number, so 4 is a divisor)
5. 72 / 5 = 14.4 (not a whole number, so 5 is not a divisor)
6. 72 / 6 = 12 (whole number, so 6 is a divisor)
7. 72 / 7 = 10.285714… (not a whole number, so 7 is not a divisor)
8. 72 / 8 = 9 (whole number, so 8 is a divisor)
9. 72 / 9 = 8 (whole number, so 9 is a divisor)
10. 72 / 10 = 7.2 (not a whole number, so 10 is not a divisor)
11. 72 / 11 = 6.545454… (not a whole number, so 11 is not a divisor)
12. 72 / 12 = 6 (whole number, so 12 is a divisor)
13. 72 / 13 = 5.538461… (not a whole number, so 13 is not a divisor)
14. 72 / 14 = 5.142857… (not a whole number, so 14 is not a divisor)
15. 72 / 15 = 4.8 (not a whole number, so 15 is not a divisor)
16. 72 / 16 = 4.5 (not a whole number, so 16 is not a divisor)
17. 72 / 17 = 4.235294… (not a whole number, so 17 is not a divisor)
18. 72 / 18 = 4 (whole number, so 18 is a divisor)
19. 72 / 19 = 3.789473… (not a whole number, so 19 is not a divisor)
20. 72 / 20 = 3.6 (not a whole number, so 20 is not a divisor)
21. 72 / 21 = 3.428571… (not a whole number, so 21 is not a divisor)
22. 72 / 22 = 3.272727… (not a whole number, so 22 is not a divisor)
23. 72 / 23 = 3.130434… (not a whole number, so 23 is not a divisor)
24. 72 / 24 = 3 (whole number, so 24 is a divisor)
25. 72 / 25 = 2.88 (not a whole number, so 25 is not a divisor)
26. 72 / 26 = 2.769230… (not a whole number, so 26 is not a divisor)
27. 72 / 27 = 2.66666… (not a whole number, so 27 is not a divisor)
28. 72 / 28 = 2.571428… (not a whole number, so 28 is not a divisor)
29. 72 / 29 = 2.482758… (not a whole number, so 29 is not a divisor)
30. 72 / 30 = 2.4 (not a whole number, so 30 is not a divisor)
31. 72 / 31 = 2.322580… (not a whole number, so 31 is not a divisor)
32. 72 / 32 = 2.25 (not a whole number, so 32 is not a divisor)
33. 72 / 33 = 2.181818… (not a whole number, so 33 is not a divisor)
34. 72 / 34 = 2.117647… (not a whole number, so 34 is not a divisor)
35. 72 / 35 = 2.057142… (not a whole number, so 35 is not a divisor)
36. 72 / 36 = 2 (whole number, so 36 is a divisor)
37. 72 / 37 = 1.945945… (not a whole number, so 37 is not a divisor)
38. 72 / 38 = 1.894736… (not a whole number, so 38 is not a divisor)
39. 72 / 39 = 1.846153… (not a whole number, so 39 is not a divisor)
40. 72 / 40 = 1.8 (not a whole number, so 40 is not a divisor)
41. 72 / 41 = 1.758620… (not a whole number, so 41 is not a divisor)
42. 72 / 42 = 1.714285… (not a whole number, so 42 is not a divisor)
43. 72 / 43 = 1.674418… (not a whole number, so 43 is not a divisor)
44. 72 / 44 = 1.636363… (not a whole number, so 44 is not a divisor)
45. 72 / 45 = 1.6 (not a whole number, so 45 is not a divisor)
46. 72 / 46 = 1.565217… (not a whole number, so 46 is not a divisor)
47. 72 / 47 = 1.531914… (not a whole number, so 47 is not a divisor)
48. 72 / 48 = 1.5 (not a whole number, so 48 is not a divisor)
49. 72 / 49 = 1.469387… (not a whole number, so 49 is not a divisor)
50. 72 / 50 = 1.44 (not a whole number, so 50 is not a divisor)
51. 72 / 51 = 1.411764… (not a whole number, so 51 is not a divisor)
52. 72 / 52 = 1.384615… (not a whole number, so 52 is not a divisor)
53. 72 / 53 = 1.356634… (not a whole number, so 53 is not a divisor)
54. 72 / 54 = 1.333333… (not a whole number, so 54 is not a divisor)
55. 72 / 55 = 1.309090… (not a whole number, so 55 is not a divisor)
56. 72 / 56 = 1.285714… (not a whole number, so 56 is not a divisor)
57. 72 / 57 = 1.263157… (not a whole number, so 57 is not a divisor)
58. 72 / 58 = 1.241379… (not a whole number, so 58 is not a divisor)
59. 72 / 59 = 1.220338… (not a whole number, so 59 is not a divisor)
60. 72 / 60 = 1.2 (not a whole number, so 60 is not a divisor)
61. 72 / 61 = 1.180327… (not a whole number, so 61 is not a divisor)
62. 72 / 62 = 1.161290… (not a whole number, so 62 is not a divisor)
63. 72 / 63 = 1.142857… (not a whole number, so 63 is not a divisor)
64. 72 / 64 = 1.125 (not a whole number, so 64 is not a divisor)
65. 72 / 65 = 1.107692… (not a whole number, so 65 is not a divisor)
66. 72 / 66 = 1.090909… (not a whole number, so 66 is not a divisor)
67. 72 / 67 = 1.070149… (not a whole number, so 67 is not a divisor)
68. 72 / 68 = 1.058823… (not a whole number, so 68 is not a divisor)
69. 72 / 69 = 1.043478… (not a whole number, so 69 is not a divisor)
70. 72 / 70 = 1.028571… (not a whole number, so 70 is not a divisor)
71. 72 / 71 = 1.014084… (not a whole number, so 71 is not a divisor)
72. 72 / 72 = 1 (whole number, so 72 is a divisor)
Now that we have gone through the divisions, let’s list all the divisors of 72 in a neat format:
Divisors of 72:
– 1
– 2
– 3
– 4
– 6
– 8
– 9
– 12
– 18
– 24
– 36
– 72
In conclusion, the divisors of 72 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 72. Understanding these divisors can help in various mathematical applications, making the concept of divisors very useful!