Divisibility for Eleven
Reference > Mathematics > Number Theory > Divisibility RulesThe divisibility rule for 11 is very similar to the divisibility rules for 7 and 13, except that it's much easier to work with.
Here it is: Alternate adding and subtracting the digits, and if the result is a multiple of 11, then the original number is a multiple of 11.
Here are some examples:
165: 1 - 6 + 5 = 0, and 0 is a multiple of 11.
61,391: 6 - 1 + 3 - 9 + 1 = 0, so the 61,391 is a multiple of 11
191,906: 1 - 9 + 1 - 9 + 0 - 6 = -22, which is a multiple of 11.
One interesting thing about this is that several powers of 11 are palindromes: 121, 1331, 14641, and it's interesting to see how those digits all cancel each other out when you alternately add and subtract.
Questions
1.
If the number 16a is divisible by 11, what is the digit "a"?
2.
Is the number 65,421 divisible by 11? How do you know?
3.
What would be a divisibility rule for 22?
4.
What would be a divisibility rule for 55?

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