Arithmetic and Fractions

Properties of real numbers

A real number is any number on the number line. This includes round numbers as
well as fractions.
Integers 0, +- 1, +- 2, …………………….
Positive, -ve numbers
0 is the only number positive, nor negative
sqrt 3
0, integer (close to 0, far from 0)
Number properties;
Commutative property (addition, multiplication)
a+b=b+a 2+6=6+2
division, substraction are not commutative
7-4 = 4-7
7-4= -(-4+7)
2, Associative properties (addition, multiplication)
a+(b+c)= (a+b)+c 2+(3+5)=(2+3)+5
division, substraction are not
3, distributive
a*(b+c)=a*b+a*c 12(7-3)= 12*7-12*3

0,1
Whenever we divide anything by 1, answer is the number itself
Whenever we divide anything by 0, answer is the number undefined
Whenever we multiply anything by 0, answer is the number 0
 Product of two number is zero, guess the numbers either of the number should
be 0
Positive and negative numbers
+1, +2, +3,+4
-1,-2,…………
Rules
- + -
- - +
+- -
++ +

Subtraction of any number can be rewritten as addition of a number of the

opposite sign.

31- 17 = 31+(-17) = 31-17

(-24)-16= (-24)+(-16)= - (24+16) = -40
-61-11 = -(61+11) -72

1. A) p+q
2. B) p-q
p-(-q)= p+q
(-p) –q= -(p+q)
Mental Maths:
37 -------------------- 30+7
81= 80 + 1
47+36 40+30= 70 7+6= 13 83

56-19 57-20= 37
a-b= (a+k) – (b+k) 2*2-5*2= -3
 The sign rules for multiplication
Pos* pos= pos
Neg* neg= pos

Pos*neg= neg

Same signs-------------- pos product

Different signs------------- neg product

The sign rules for division

Pos/pos= pos
Neg/neg= pos

Pos/neg = neg

Same signs------------------ pos quotient

Different signs---------------- negative quotient
The Combined Sign Rules:
If we multiply or divide numbers with the same sign, the result is positive.
If we multiply or divide numbers with different signs, the result is negative.

Multiplying and Dividing Positive and Negative Numbers:

1. Use the Sign Rules to determine the sign of the product or quotient
2. Treat both factors as positive, and perform the multiplication or division
3.
4. Multiplying and Dividing Positive and Negative Numbers:
5. Use the Sign Rules to determine the sign of the product or quotient
6. Treat both factors as positive, and perform the multiplication or division
7. Give the result the appropriate sign For example,

（-6）x（-7）=6x7=+42
-65/5 = -65/5 = -13
-30/-12 =

12 Another topic related to positive and negative signs is absolute values. Many folks
need to "update" their understanding of this.
The naïve definition of absolute value =
"it makes everything positive"
I16| = 6
I-14| = 14

A much more sophisticated definition is: the absolute value of a number gives the
distance of the number from the origin.
First of all, this is consistent with our previous understanding:
161=6
I-14| = 14
I0I= 0

Arithmetic and Fractions

Order of Operations
Some folks might remember this topic as
PEMDAS. In this video, we are going to expand the view a little.

What are the mathematical grouping symbols?

1. Parentheses
2. Straight brackets

same meaning as parentheses

[(x + 4)3 - (x- 4)3]
3) The square root sign sqrt 9 -х2

1. The long fraction bar

2. The exponent "slot" 3х -7

Notice the two meanings of each of these: the long fraction bar means both group and
divide; the exponent slot means both group and "to the power of."

Everything is clear in proper mathematical formatting. BUT, translating to plaintext is

tricky!
2n+3 = 2^n+3
Now we can talk about the Order of Operations. Many people call this PEMDAS, but I
will call it GEMDAS.

1. Grouping symbols
2. Exponents
3. Multiplication & Division
4. Addition & Subtraction
Decimals

In this video, we will talk about decimals, covering

 place value
 arithmetic with decimals

First, think about positive integers. The number 256 means:

2 hundreds
5 tens
6 ones

First, think about positive integers. The number 256 means:

2 hundreds
5 tens
6 ones
Thus,
256 = 2*(100) + 5*(10) + 6*(1)

Notice that, as we move a digit to the left, the place value is multiplied by 10, and as we move a
digit to the right, the place value is divided by 10.
2,178,309
The decimals simply extend this pattern to the right of the decimal point.

For example, the number

39.0625
has
3 in the tens place (10)
9 in the ones place (1)
O in the tenths place (1/10)
6 in the hundredths place (1/100)
2 in the thousandth place (1/1,000)
5 in the ten thousandth place (1/10,000)

We could write this number as follows:

39.0625 = 3 * 10 + 9 * 1 + 0*1/10+ 6*1/100+2 *1/1000+5*1/10,000

The decimals places to the right of the decimal point represent negative powers of ten:
0.1 = one tenth = 1/10 = 10-1
0.01 = one hundredth = 1/100 = 10-2
0.001 = one thousandth = 1/1000 = 10-3
0.0001 = one ten thousandth = 1/10,000
= 10-4

Also, notice that additional zeros to the right of any non-zero digits are meaningless: they make
absolutely no difference in the value.
3.75 = 3.7500 = 3.75000000000

Adding and subtracting decimals is quite straightforward. We simply line up the decimal points,
and add or subtract vertically.
2.8 + 3.647

For multiplication, step one is to count the number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
6.25 × 0.048
The first factor has two decimal places, and the second has three. Add those two: the
product will have 2 + 3 = 5 decimal places.
Now, ignore the decimal point entirely, and just find the product as if they were two positive
integers.

625 x 48 = 1250 x 24 = 2500 × 12

= 5000 × 6 = 30,000
Now, we know we need five decimal places, so we put the five rightmost digits of this
product to the right of the decimal.

625 x 48 = 1250 × 24 = 2500 × 12

= 5000 × 6 = 30,000
Now, we know we need five decimal places, so we put the five rightmost digits of this product to
the right of the decimal. Thus:
6.25 × 0.048 = 0.30000

Notice that find a power is a special case of multiplying. For example,

(0.03)3 = (0.03) x (0.03) x (0.03)
That's 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 places to the right of
the decimal point!

Notice that find a power is a special case of multiplying. For example,

(0.03)3 = (0.03) × (0.03) × (0.03)
That's 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 places to the right of
the decimal point! We know 33 = 27, so that
rightmost 7 must land six places to the right of the decimal.
(0.03)3 = 0.000027

Now, division of decimals. To start, simply move the decimals of both numbers one place to the
right, and continue until the denominator, the divisor, is a whole number.

0.56/0.0007= 5.6/0.007= 56/0.07=560/0.7=5600/7=800

0.00013/0.025
When we move a decimal one place to the right, 2.45 to 24.5, we are multiplying the number by
10.

Between any two numbers on the number line, no matter how close those two numbers are,
there lies an infinity of points between them.
This fact will not be directly tested on the
GRE, but knowing this will give you important perspective in the discussion of rounding.

Rounding
Let's start very easy. Suppose we are rounding to the nearest integer, and suppose there is only
one digit to the right of the decimal point.
74.9
2.4

The rule is very easy. If the number in the tenth's place is 0-4, then we round down.
If the number in the tenth's place is 5-9, we round up.

The rule is very easy. If the number in the tenth's place is 0-4, then we round down.
If the number in the tenth's place is 5-9, we round up.
74.9-------------75
37.5-----------38
394.0------------------394
2.4------------2

Now, we add a twist. We are still rounding to the nearest integer, but now we could have any
number of decimals to the right of the decimal point.
Here's the tricky part. We look ONLY at number in the tenth's place, and no other number. If the
number in the tenth's place is 0-4, we round down. If the number in the tenth's place is 5-9, we
round up. The subsequent decimals are irrelevant.

So, of course, 7.12 and 7.384 get rounded down to 7. Of course, 7.96 and 7.532 get rounded up
to 8. That much is easy.

So, of course, 7.12 and 7.384 get rounded down to 7. Of course, 7.96 and 7.532 get rounded up
to 8. That much is easy.

So, of course, 7.12 and 7.384 get rounded down to 7. Of course, 7.96 and 7.532 get rounded up
to 8. That much is easy.
What's tricky is a 4 in the tenth's place with more digits behind it. For example,
7.45 is rounded down to 7.
7.49 is rounded down to 7.
7.49999 is rounded down to 7.

As you might infer, a very common mistake is the mistake of double-rounding.

6.48
→6

The GRE could ask you to round to any decimal place: the nearest hundreds, the nearest
thousandths, etc.
When you are asked to round to a place, look only at the digit in the next place to the right, i.e.
the next smallest place. Same rule as above:
0-4-
round down
5-9.
round up
For example, 65,536 rounded to the nearest thousand is 66,000.

For practice:
1492 rounded to the nearest tens is
3.14159 rounded to the nearest thousandths place is
59,049 rounded to the nearest hundreds place is

Multiples of 10
we will talk about ways to multiply and divide by 10 quickly.
The first idea is that, when a multiple of ten greater than one is written in standard form,
the number of zeros after the 1 is equal to the factors of 10 this multiple contains.

For example,
10,000 = 104 = 10 × 10 × 10 × 10
1,000,000 = 106 = 10 × 10 × 10 × 10
X 10 x 10
For powers of ten less than one, the number of factors of ten in the denominator equals
the number of places to the right of the decimal point.

For example,
1
0.01 = 10-2 = 1/10 × 10
0.0001 = 10-4 = 1/10 × 10 × 10× 10

Of course, in any number, each place value is ten times more than the one to the right
and ten times less than the one to the left.
This leads to a very quick trick when multiplying or dividing a number by some power of
ten.

First of all, when we multiply any number by ten, we move the decimal point one place
to the right.
24 х 10 = 240
2.53 × 10 = 25.3
6,400 × 10 = 64,000
0.00045 × 10 =

When we divide any number by ten, or multiply by 0.1, we move the decimal point one
place to the left.
24÷10= 2.4
0.02÷ 10= 0.002
39.85 × 0.1 =

When we multiply any number by any positive power of ten, we move the decimal point
a number of space to the right equal to the power, that is, equal to the number of factors
of 10.
350 × 100 = 35,000
0.01728 × 1000 = 17.28
8.3 × 106 =

When we multiply any number by any positive power of ten, we move the decimal point
a number of space to the right equal to the power, that is, equal to the number of factors
of 10.
350 × 100 = 35,000
0.01728 × 1000 = 17.28
8.3 × 106 = 8,300,000

When we divide any number by any positive power of ten, or multiply by a negative
power of ten, we move the decimal point a number of space to the left equal to the
absolute value of the power, that is, equal to the number of factors of 10.
5 seconds
1235＝ 100=12.35
0.064 × 10-2 =

37.5 ÷ 10000 = 0.00375

64,000 x 0.0001 = 6.4
5.4 × 10-5 = 0.000054
20.25 ÷ 106 = 0.00002025

Notice that dividing by a negative power of 10, a number smaller than one, has the
effect of making the product bigger; it's equivalent to multiplying by positive power of 10.
2.35 ÷ 0.01 = 2.35 x 100 = 235
4.7 ÷ 104= 4.7 X104 =

One common mistake in these problems is: sometimes get confused on which way to
move the decimal point.
Always think about whether this multiplication or division will make a number bigger or
smaller. Make sure that your answer is bigger or smaller as it should be.