Divisor 18773

Prime Number:
Yes!
Divisibility test:
The "Eel Test"
Test Discovered by:
Matt Parker
Date:
11/11/2024

The "Eel Test" for Divisibility by 18773

To determine if any number is divisible by 18773, apply the "Eel Test":

  1. If your number ("X") has 10 digits or more, separate the last (smallest) 9 digits from the rest. This makes two smaller numbers, call them Left and Right (note: don't add in trailing zeros to L). If there are fewer than 10 digits, L = 0 and therefore R = X.
  2. Multiply L by 164 and subtract this from R.
  3. Take that result and cross off its final digit (units). Take this new number and add 5632 times the digit you just crossed off. Call this final result "Y".
  4. Y will be much smaller than X, but we have preserved divisibility by 18773. That is, your original number is divisible by 18773 if (and only if) Y is. Now that it's much smaller, with basic knowledge of your 18773-times tables, it should be easy to visually see if Y is divisible by 18773. If the Y is still much larger than 18773, the above process can be repeated until it does reduce to within small multiples of 18773.

Easy!