Mathematics

Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

LESSON 2.2
Divisibility Rules for 3, 6, and 9 to Find the Common
Factors of Numbers
Table of Contents
Introduction 1

Test Your Prerequisite Skills 2

DepEd Competencies 2

Objectives 3

Warm-Up! 3

Learn about It! 4

Divisibility Rule for 3 4

Divisibility Rule for 6 4

Divisibility Rule for 9 5

Let’s Practice 6

Check Your Understanding 9

Key Points 10

Bibliography 10
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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Lesson 2.2
Divisibility Rules for 3, 6, and 9 to Find the
Common Factors of Numbers

Fig. 1. Bookshelves

Introduction
Have you tried arranging books in a bookshelf? You may want to have the same number of
books on each shelf. How many books will you place on each shelf? Would you place three
books? Six? Nine? It may seem hard if you keep on checking if your number of books is
divisible by three, six, or nine, but it is actually simple if you use divisibility rules. You can even
do it mentally with some practice!

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

In this lesson, you will learn about the divisibility rules on 3, 6, and 9, and about the different
applications of divisibility rules.

Test Your Prerequisite Skills

Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will
help you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in studying
this lesson. Show your complete solution.

Tell whether the following numbers are divisible by 3, 6, and 9. Put a check (✓) mark if the
number is divisible in the appropriate column.

Divisible by 2 Divisible by 5 Divisible by 10

3 230
1 245
5 022

DepEd Competencies
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to do the following:

● Use divisibility rules for 3, 6, and 9 to find common factors (M5NS-Ib-

58.2).

● Solve routine and non-routine problems involving factors, multiples, and

divisibility rules for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 (M5NS-Ic-59).

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to do the following:

● Correctly state the divisibility rules for 3, 6, and 9.

● Correctly determine if given numbers are divisible by 3, 6, and 9 using the

divisibility rules.

● Accurately find the common factors of whole numbers using the

divisibility rules for 3, 6, and 9.

Warm-Up!

Fill It, Count It

Materials
● paper
● pen

Instructions
1. Form groups with five members each.
2. Your teacher will ask each group to determine the number of books that can fit on
9 shelves if each shelf contains an equal number of books. The total number of
books to be distributed is 729.
3. The group that will be first to determine the answer wins the game.

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Learn about It!

Without actual division, we can tell whether the arrangement in Warm Up! is possible or not.
To do this, we apply divisibility rules.

Let us study the divisibility rules for 3, 6, and 9.

Essential Question
How will you determine which numbers are divisible by 3, 6, and 9 without
dividing?

Divisibility Rule for 3

A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 3.

For example, let us determine if 36 is divisible by 3. The sum of the digits of 36 is

3+6=9

Since the sum 9 is divisible by 3, 36 is divisible by 3.

Divisibility Rule for 6

A number is divisible by 6 if it is even and divisible by 3.

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

For example, if we want to find out if 132 is divisible by 6, we check if it is even and divisible
by 3.
• 132 is an even number.
• To determine if 132 is divisible by 3, we need to find the sum of the digits.

1+3+2=6
6 is divisible by 3.

Because both conditions are satisfied, 132 is divisible by 6.

Divisibility Rule for 9

A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 9.

For example, to find out if 954 is divisible by 9, we need to find the sum of its digits

9 + 5 + 4 = 18

The sum 18 is divisible by 9. Therefore, 954 is divisible by 9.

Essential Question
How will you find the factors of a whole number using the divisibility rules
for 3, 6, and 9?

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Let’s Practice
Example 1
Tell whether 3 987 is divisible by 3.

Solution
The sum of the digits is 3 + 9 + 8 + 7 = 27. 27 is divisible by 3.

Hence, 3 987 is divisible by 3.

Try It Yourself!
Tell whether 8 208 is divisible by 6.

Example 2
Determine if 999 is divisible by 3, 6, and 9.

Solution
By 3: Find the sum of the digits: 9 + 9 + 9 = 27. 27 is divisible by 3.
Thus, 999 is divisible by 3.

By 6: Since 999 is an odd number, it is not divisible by 2.

Thus, 999 is not divisible by 6.

By 9: Find the sum of the digits: 9 + 9 + 9 = 27. 27 is divisible by 9.

Thus, 999 is divisible by 9.

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Therefore, 999 is divisible by 3 and 9 but not by 6.

Try It Yourself!
Tell whether 5 616 is divisible by 3, 6, and 9.

Example 3
Determine which among 3, 6, and 9 is a common factor of 888 and 999.

Solution
a. Check for divisibility of 888 by 3, 6, and 9:

By 3: Find the sum of the digits: 8 + 8 + 8 = 24. Since 24 is divisible by 3, then 888 is divisible
by 3.

By 6: Since 888 is an even number, it is divisible by 2. Thus, 888 is divisible by 6.

By 9: Find the sum of the digits: 8 + 8 + 8 = 24. Since 24 is not divisible by 9, then 888 is not
divisible by 9.

b. Check for divisibility of 999 by 3, 6, and 9:

By 3: Obtain the sum of the digits: 9 + 9 + 9 = 27. Since 27 is divisible by 3, then 999 is
divisible by 3.

By 6: Since 999 is an odd number, it is not divisible by 2. Thus, 999 is not divisible by 6.

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

By 9: Obtain the sum of the digits: 9 + 9 + 9 = 27. Since 27 is divisible by 9, then 999 is
divisible by 9.

Therefore, the common factor of 888 and 999 is 3.

Try It Yourself!
Determine which among the numbers 3, 6, and 9 is a common factor of 4 599 and 5 616.

Real-world Problems
Example 4
Jona has 9 nephews and nieces. She bought a pack of candies that contains
153 pieces. She wants to divide the candies equally among the children
without leftovers. Can she do this?

Solution
To know if the candies can be divided equally among the children, let us check if 153 is
divisible by 9.

Let us first find the sum of the digits.

1+5+3=9

The sum (9) is divisible by 9; thus, 153 is divisible by 9.

Therefore, Jona can divide the candies equally among the children without leftover.

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Try It Yourself!
Isaac has 72 marbles. He wants to divide the marbles equally
among his 5 friends and himself without leftovers. Can he do
this?

Check Your Understanding

1. Tell whether the following numbers are divisible by 3, 6, and 9.

a. 66
b. 78
c. 183
d. 177
e. 299
f. 396

2. Determine which among 3, 6, and 9 is a common factor of each pair of numbers

below.
a. 93 and 126
b. 750 and 1 305
c. 1 863 and 2 121

3. Enna bought 56 apples in the market. She wants to give these apples to the 6
children she met at an orphanage. Can she divide the apples among the children
without leftovers?

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Grade 5 • Unit 2: Divisibility Rules

Key Points

● Divisibility rule for 3: A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 3.

● Divisibility rule for 6: A number is divisible by 6 if it is even and divisible by 3.

● Divisibility rule for 9: A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 9.

Bibliography
Brilliant. “Proof of Divisibility Rules.” Accessed 11 July 2017. https://brilliant.org/wiki/proof-of-
divisibility-rules/

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