Modular Arithmetic

Claire McAllister
Objectives
Language:

By the end of this 25-minute lesson, college students will be able to verbally define modular
arithmetic in their own words with 90% accuracy.

Content:

By the end of this 25-minute lesson, college students will be able to solve modular arithmetic
problems with 80% accuracy.
Division Problem
Essential Vocabulary:

● Division
● Remainder

Practice Problem:

427÷25=?
Definitions

● Division: Division is splitting into equal

parts or groups. It is the result of "fair
sharing."
● Remainder: An amount left over after
division
Modular Arithmetic
Definition: Remainder when dividing
Mod 12 Clock
Mod 7 clock
Notation
A≡B (mod C)

● This notation represents congruence

● Similar to equality

Consider the following:

1≡5 (mod 4)

Note: they are not equal, but when they are divided by 4, they produce the
same remainder. Thus, they are congruent mod 4
Practice Problems

1. 28 mod 3 ≡ ?
2. 31≡x (mod 10)
3. 27≡x (mod 3)
4. 20 mod 8 ≡ ?
Addition and Multiplication

● Functions the same way as regular addition and multiplication

● Example:
○ 7+11 mod 4 ≡ 3+3 mod 4 ≡ 6 mod 4 = 2 mod 4
● Example:
○ 3*5 mod 2 ≡ 15 mod 2 ≡ 1 mod 2

Or… 3*5 mod 2 ≡ 1*1 mod 2 ≡ 1 mod 2

Examples

1. 10*5 mod 2 ≡ ?
2. 3+5 mod 6 ≡ ?
3. 11+20 mod 5 ≡ ?
4. 4*25 mod 3 ≡ ?
Exit Slip
Discuss with your partner:

1. In your own words, what is the definition of

remainder, division, and modular arithmetic? How
are they related?
2. What does the notation 10 mod 12 mean?
https://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/remainder.html

https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Modular_arithmetic/Introduction