Divisor 4903

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

The "Mykola Bashmakov Test" for Divisibility by 4903

To determine if any number is divisible by 4903, apply the "Mykola Bashmakov Test":

  1. If your number ("X") has 5 digits or more, separate the last (smallest) 4 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 5 digits, L = 0 and therefore R = X.
  2. Multiply L by 194 and add to R.
  3. Take that result and cross off its final digit (units). Take this new number and add 1471 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 4903. That is, your original number is divisible by 4903 if (and only if) Y is. Now that it's much smaller, with basic knowledge of your 4903-times tables, it should be easy to visually see if Y is divisible by 4903. If the Y is still much larger than 4903, the above process can be repeated until it does reduce to within small multiples of 4903.

Easy!