Lesson 15

PARTS
OF NATURAL NUMBERS 1

In this chapter we will learn to speak the language of arithmetic. This will allow us
to relate any two numbers. We will learn to say, for example, that 6 is the fourth part,
or one quarter, of 24, and that 18 is three quarters of 24. We are not concerned here
with "How do you do it?" but, rather, "What does that mean?"

What is more, to really understand Percent, it is necessary to understand parts,

because a percent is a part of 100%. 50% means half -- because 50 is half of
100. 25% means a quarter because 25 is a quarter of 100. And 20% means a
fifth because 20 is the fifth part of 100. Finally, fractions (Lesson 20)
are parts of number 1.

1. What is a natural number?

It is a collection composed of equal indivisible units; each of them

we say is one. That is the idea of a natural number.
To those collections we give a sequence of names and symbols.

1, 2, 3, 4, and so on, are the familiar numerals for the natural numbers. We calculate
with those symbols, and so it has become conventional to call the symbols themselves
"numbers." Yet a symbol is not what it symbolizes, what it stands for, which in this case is
a number of discrete units.
By a number in what follows, we will mean a natural number.
Cardinal and ordinal
The names of the natural numbers have two forms: cardinal and ordinal.
The cardinal forms are
One, two, three, four, and so on.
They answer the question How many? The ordinal forms are
First, second, third, fourth, and so on.
They answer the question Which one? We will see that those ordinal numbers
express division into equal parts. With the exception of "half," an ordinal number will
name which part -- the third part, the fourth, the fifth, and so on.
To each cardinal number except 1, there will correspond the name of a part.
2 Half

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3 Third
4 Fourth
5 Fifth
And so on.

2. What do we mean by the multiples of a number?

They are the numbers produced when that number is repeatedly

added.

Here are the first few multiples of 5:

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40.
5 is the first multiple of 5; 10 is the second multiple; 15, the third; and so on.

3. What does it mean to say that a smaller number is a part of a

larger number?

It means that the larger number is a multiple of the smaller.

Equivalently, the smaller is contained in the larger an exact
number of times.

5, then, will be a certain part of each one of its multiples.

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40.
Since 15 is the third multiple of 5, we say that 5 is the third part of 15.
We use that same ordinal number to name the part.
Since 20 is the fourth multiple of 5, we call 5 the fourth part of 20. 5 is the fifth part
of 25, the sixth part of 30; and so on. But, 5 is half of 10. (We do not say the second
part.) And 5 is not a part of itself; there is no such thing as the first part.
So with the exception of "half," an ordinal number names into which parts a number
has been divided.

15 has been divided into Thirds; that is, into three equal parts. The third part of 15 is
5.
This use of ordinal numbers does not imply a
sequence: the first part, the second, the third,
and so on. See below.
If we divide a number into four equal parts,

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then we have divided it into fourths (or quarters); if into five equal parts,

into fifths. But if we divide into two equal parts, then we have divided it in half.
It is important to understand that we are not speaking here of proper fractions -
- numbers that are less than 1 and that we need for measuring. We are explaining how the
ordinal numbers --- third, fourth, fifth, etc. -- name the equal parts into which a number
has been divided. When answering the questions of this Lesson, the student should not
write fractions. We will come to those symbols in Lesson 20.
It should be clear that the ordinal names of the
parts belong to language itself, and are prior to
the names of the proper fractions, which are the
parts of 1.
Why is the number we write as 1 over 3 -- -
called "one-third"? Because the numerator is one
third -- the third part -- of the denominator.

p
That must be understood first. We can then
explain that the number we call is the third part
of 1.

p
Lesson 20.

Example 1. 3 is which part of 18?

Answer. The sixth part. 3 is contained in 18 six times.

Note that 1 is a part of every number (except itself) because every number is a
multiple of 1. Which part is it? The part that says the number's name.

1 is the third part of 3, the fourth part of 4, the fifth part of 5, the hundredth part of
100. 1 is half of 2.

Example 2. What number is the fourth part, or a quarter, of 28?

Answer. 7. Because 28 is made up of four sevens.

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 Four times 7 is 28.

Example 3. 2 is the fifth part of what number?

Answer. 10. Because five 2's are 10.

Every number is the fifth part of five times itself

4 is the fifth part of 5 4, which is 20.
9 is the fifth part of 5 9, which is 45.
20 is the fifth part of 5 20, which is 100.

4. How can we calculate a part of a number?

Divide by the cardinal number that corresponds to the name of

the part. To take half of a number, divide by 2. To take a third,
divide by 3. And so on.

See Lesson 11, Question 2, and especially Example 6.

Example 4. How much is an eighth of $72?

Answer. 72 8 = 9. An eighth of $72 is $9.

Example 5. Tenths, hundredths. How much is a tenth of $275?

How much is a hundredth?
Answer. To find a tenth, divide by 10.
275 10 = 27.5
(Lesson 4, Question 4.)
Since this is money, we report the answer as $27.50. (Lesson 3.)
As for a hundredth, we will separate two decimal digits:
$275 100 = $2.75
In Lesson 4, we saw that when we divide by 10, we have taken 10% of the
number. And when we divide by 100, we have taken 1%.
Therefore, 10% of $275 is $27.50. 1% is $2.75.
Note: Whenever we divide by any power of 10 -- the digits do not change.
275 100 = 2.75
Conversely, then, if two numbers have the same digits, they differ by a power of 10.

Example 6. $85 is which part of $850?

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Answer. Apart from the 0 at the end of $850, those numbers have the same
digits. Therefore, they differ by a power of 10. 850 is in fact 10 times 85. (Lesson 4,
Question 1.) Therefore, $85 is the tenth part of $850. To say the same thing, $85 is 10% of
$850.

Example 7. $.98 is which part of $98?

Answer. They have the same digits. They differ by a power of 10.
$.98 is the hundredth part of $98. It is 1% of it.
Divisors
We say that a smaller number is a divisor of a larger number if the larger is a multiple of the
smaller. 3 is a divisor of 12 because 12 is a multiple of 3. 5 is not a divisor of 12. We say
however that a number is a divisor of itself. With the exception of the number itself, the
divisors of a number are the only parts that a number has.
3 is the fourth part of 12. 6 is half of 12. 5 is not any part of 12. You cannot divide
12 people into groups of 5.

Example 8. Find all the divisors of 30 in pairs. Each divisor (except 30) is which part of
30?
Answer. Here are all the divisors of 30 in pairs:
1 and 30. (Because 1 30 = 30.)
2 and 15. (Because 2 15 = 30.)
3 and 10. (Because 3 10 = 30.)
5 and 6. (Because 5 6 = 30.)
On naming which part of 30, each divisor will say the ordinal name of its partner:
1 is the thirtieth part of 30.
2 is the fifteenth part of 30. 15 is half of 30.
3 is the tenth part of 30. 10 is the third part of 30.
5 is the sixth part of 30. 6 is the fifth part of 30.
Divisors always come in pairs. And that implies the following:
Theorem. For every divisor (except 1) that a number has, it will have a part with the ordinal name of
that divisor.
(Euclid, VII. 37.)
Since 18, for example, has a divisor 3, then 18 has a third part. Since 18 has a
divisor 6, then 18 has a sixth part. But 18 does not have a fifth part, because 5 is not a
divisor of 18.
Here is an illustration that 18 has a divisor 3:

18 = 6 3.
But according to the order property of multiplication:
18 = 3 6.
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 This shows that 6 -- the partner of 3 -- is the third part of 18.
In other words, since 18 has a divisor 3, then 18 has a third part.

Example 9. Into which parts could 12 people be divided?

Answer. The divisors of 12 are
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12.

Corresponding to each divisor (except 1), there will be a part with the ordinal name
of the divisor. 12 people, therefore, could be divided into
Halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and twelfths.
You cannot take a fifth of 12 people. 12 does not have a divisor 5.

Percent: Parts of 100%

A percent is another way of naming a part. Because whatever part the percent is of 100%, that is the part
we are naming.
Since 50% is half of 100%, then 50% means half. 50% of 12 -- half of 12 -- is 6.
Since 25% is a quarter, or a fourth, of 100% --

-- then 25% is another way of saying a quarter. 25% of 40 -- the fourth part of 40 -- is 10.
In the next Lesson, Question 10, we will see how to take 25% by taking half of half.
Since 20% is the fifth part of 100% --

(100 is made up of five 20's) -- then 20% is another way of saying a fifth. 20% of 15 -- the fifth part of 15 -
- is 3.
See Problems 13 and 14.

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 Repeated division in half
Every time we take half of something, we get twice as many parts. Half of a whole -- --

-- results in two equal parts. Each part is Half.

If we divide each Half in half --

-- the whole will be in four equal parts, or Quarters.

If we divide each Quarter in half --

-- the whole will then be in twice as many, that is, eight equal parts, or Eighths.
Half of an Eighth is a Sixteenth. Half of a Sixteenth is a Thirty-second. And so on.
Now, here are the number of equal parts that result when we repeatedly take half:
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and so on.
Those numbers are called the powers of 2. Repeated division in half is very common. The student
should know the names of the sequence of those parts:
Halves, Quarters, Eighths, Sixteenths, Thirty-seconds, and so on.
*
When we say "5 is the third part of 15," we do not imply a
sequence: the first part, the second part, the third, and so on.
When we speak of the third part, that is a different meaning
for the word "third." It means each one of three equal parts
that together make up the whole.

We say that we have divided 15 into thirds.

Yet "third" still retains its ordinal character. Because to the

question, "Which part of 15 is 5?", we answer,

"The third part." We use that ordinal number because 15 is

the third multiple of 5.

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 PARTS OF NATURAL NUMBERS
PROBLEMS
11. a) Which numbers are the first five multiples of 6?
_,_,_,_,_
11. b) 6 is which part of each one of those (except 6)?
6 is ____ of 12.
6 is ___ ______ ____ of 18.
6 is ___ ______ ____ of 24.
6 is ___ ______ ____ of 30.

12. Complete the following with the word multiple or part.

12. a) A larger number is a ____________ of a smaller number.

12. b) A smaller number is a _______ of a larger number.

12. c) "3 is the fifth ______ of 15" means, 15 is the fifth _________ of 3.

12. d) Since 12 is the third ________ of 4, we say that 4 is the third

12. d) ________ of 12.

12. e) 40 is eight times 5, therefore 5 is called the eighth _____ of 40.

12. f) Every number is a certain ______ of each of its multiples.

12. g) A number is divisible by 9, is the same as saying that the number

12. g) is a _________ of 9.

12. h) Each divisor of a number (except the number itself) is a certain

12. h) _______ of the number.

13. Spell the ordinal name of each of the following:

4 _______ 5 ______ 8 ________ 9 ________

12 _______ 19 _________ 20 __________ 21 ___________

30 _______ 40 ________ 100 _________ 101 __________

14. a) Which numbers are the divisors of 6? __, __, __, __

14. b) Each divisor (except 6) is which part of 6?
1 is ___ ______ _____ of 6.
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 2 is ___ ______ _____ of 6.
3 is ____ of 6.

15. a) Find all the divisors of 18 in pairs.

__ and ___
___ and ___
___ and ___

15. b) Each divisor (except 18) is which part of 18?

1 is ___ ____________ _____ ____.

2 and 9
2 is ____ ________ _____ of 18. 9 is _____of 18.
3 and 6
3 is ___ _______ _____ of 18. 6 is the ______ _____ of 18.

16. a) Find all the divisors of 24 in pairs.

___ and ___
___ and ___
___ and ____
___ and ____

15. b) Each divisor (except 24) is which part of 24?

1 is the _____________ part of ___.

2 and 12
2 is the ________part of 24. 12 is ____ of 24.

3 and 8
3 is the ______ _______ ____ ___. 8 is the ______ _______ ____ ____.

4 and 6
4 is ___ _______ _____ ___ ___. 6 is the _____ _____ ____ ____ .

17. Write the first five numbers that have

17. a) a third part. ___ , ___ , ___ , ___ , ___
17. b) a fourth part. ___, ____ , ____, ____ , ____
17. c) a fifth part. ____ , ____, ____ , ____, ____

18. 1 is a part of every natural number (except itself). Which part is it of

2 ____. 3 _____. 4 ______. 10 ______.
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 79 ____________. 1000 _____________.

19. How much is each of the following?

An eighth of 8? __ A tenth of 10? __ A fifth of 5? __
A sixth of 42? __ An eighth of 24? __ A fifth of 10? __
A tenth of 40? __ A fourth of 20? __ A ninth of 9? __
A third of 21? __ A fifth of 40? __ A seventh of 63? __
An eighth of 72? __ A fourth of 36? __ A sixth of 6? __

10. Complete the following.

6 is the third part of ___.
6 is the fourth part of ___.
6 is half of ___.
10 is the fifth part of ___.
10 is the eighth part of ___.
3 is the seventh part of ___.
1 is the fourth part of ___.
1 is the sixth part of ___.
8 is the ninth part of ___.

11. a) 7 is which part of 21? The __________.

11. b) 6 is which part of 24? The __________.

11. c) 9 is which part of 45? The ___________.

11. d) 8 is which part of 72? The ___________.

11. e) 1 is which part of 12? The ____________.

11. f) 1 is which part of 100? The ________________.

11. g) 10 is which part of 100? The __________.

12. Same digits; powers of 10.

12. a) $45 is which part of $450? The _________.

12. b) $4.50 is which part of $450? The ____________.

12 c) $.45 is which part of $450? The ________________.

13. The parts of 100%. Which part of 100% is

50%? _____. 25%? A ________, or a _______. 20%? A _______.
10%? A _______. 5%? A ___________. 1%? A ___________.

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14. Whichever part the percent is of 100%, the percent means that part.
14. Compare the following.

14 a) _____ is half of 12. ______ is 50% of 12.

14. b) _____ is a fourth of 36. ____ is 25% of 36.

14. c) ____ is a fifth of 35. _____ is 20% of 35.

14. d) _____ is a tenth of 60. ______ is 10% of 60.

14. e) $______ is a hundredth of $345. $______ is 1% of $345.

15. Into which parts could you divide 16 people?

__________, fourths, ____________, and _________________.
Each part is the ordinal name of a divisor.

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 PARTS OF NATURAL NUMBERS
ANSWERS
11. a) Which numbers are the first five multiples of 6?
6, 12, 18, 24, 30.
11. b) 6 is which part of each one of those (except 6)?
6 is half of 12.
6 is the third part of 18.
6 is the fourth part of 24.
6 is the fifth part of 30.

12. Complete the following with the word multiple or part.

12. a) A larger number is a multiple of a smaller number.

12. b) A smaller number is a part of a larger number.

12. c) "3 is the fifth part of 15" means, 15 is the fifth multiple of 3.

12. d) Since 12 is the third multiple of 4, we say that 4 is the third

12. d) part of 12.

12. e) 40 is eight times 5, therefore 5 is called the eighth part of 40.

12. f) Every number is a certain part of each of its multiples.

12. g) A number is divisible by 9, is the same as saying that the number

12. g) is a multiple of 9.

12. h) Each divisor of a number (except the number itself) is a certain

12. h) part of the number.

13. Spell the ordinal name of each of the following:

4 Fourth 5 Fifth 8 Eighth 9 Ninth

12 Twelfth 19 Nineteenth 20 Twentieth 21 Twenty-first

30 Thirtieth 40 Fortieth 100 Hundredth 101 Hundred first

14. a) Which numbers are the divisors of 6? 1, 2, 3, 6.

14. b) Each divisor (except 6) is which part of 6?
1 is the sixth part of 6.
2 is the third part of 6.
3 is half of 6.

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15. a) Find all the divisors of 18 in pairs.
1 and 18
2 and 9
3 and 6

15. b) Each divisor (except 18) is which part of 18?

1 is the eighteenth part of 18.

2 and 9
2 is the ninth part of 18. 9 is half of 18.
3 and 6
3 is the sixth part of 18. 6 is the third part of 18.

16. a) Find all the divisors of 24 in pairs.

1 and 24
2 and 12
3 and 8
4 and 6

15. b) Each divisor (except 24) is which part of 24?

1 is the twenty-fourth part of 24.

2 and 12
2 is the twelfth part of 24. 12 is half of 24.

3 and 8
3 is the eighth part of 24. 8 is the third part of 24.

4 and 6
4 is the sixth part of 24. 6 is the fourth part of 24.

17. Write the first five numbers that have

17. a) a third part. 3, 6, 9, 12, 15.
17. b) a fourth part. 4, 8, 12, 16, 20.
17. c) a fifth part. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25.

18. 1 is a part of every natural number (except itself). Which part is it of

2 Half. 3 Third. 4 Fourth. 10 Tenth.
79 Seventy-ninth. 1000 Thousandth.

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 19. How much is each of the following?
An eighth of 8? 1 A tenth of 10? 1 A fifth of 5? 1
A sixth of 42? 7 An eighth of 24? 3 A fifth of 10? 2
A tenth of 40? 4 A fourth of 20? 5 A ninth of 9? 1
A third of 21? 7 A fifth of 40? 8 A seventh of 63? 9
An eighth of 72? 9 A fourth of 36? 9 A sixth of 6? 1

10. Complete the following.

6 is the third part of 18.
6 is the fourth part of 24.
6 is half of 12.
10 is the fifth part of 50.
10 is the eighth part of 80.
3 is the seventh part of 21.
1 is the fourth part of 4.
1 is the sixth part of 6.
8 is the ninth part of 72.

11. a) 7 is which part of 21? The third.

11. b) 6 is which part of 24? The fourth.

11. c) 9 is which part of 45? The fifth.

11. d) 8 is which part of 72? The ninth.

11. e) 1 is which part of 12? The twelfth.

11. f) 1 is which part of 100? The hundredth.

11. g) 10 is which part of 100? The tenth.

12. Same digits; powers of 10.

12. a) $45 is which part of $450? The tenth.

12. b) $4.50 is which part of $450? The hundredth.

12 c) $.45 is which part of $450? The thousandth.

13. The parts of 100%. Which part of 100% is

50%? Half. 25%? A fourth, or a quarter. 20%? A fifth.
10%? A tenth. 5%? A twentieth. 1%? A hundredth.

14. Whichever part the percent is of 100%, the percent means that part.

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14. Compare the following.

14 a) 6 is half of 12. 6 is 50% of 12.

14. b) 9 is a fourth of 36. 9 is 25% of 36.

14. c) 7 is a fifth of 35. 7 is 20% of 35.

14. d) 6 is a tenth of 60. 6 is 10% of 60.

14. e) $3.45 is a hundredth of $345. $3.45 is 1% of $345.

15. Into which parts could you divide 16 people?

Halves, fourths, eighths, and sixteenths.
Each part is the ordinal name of a divisor.

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