Definition:Proper Divisor/Integer
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Definition
Let $\struct {\Z, +, \times}$ be the ring of integers.
Let $x, y \in \Z$.
Let $x$ divides $y$ be defined as:
- $x \divides y \iff \exists t \in \Z: y = t \times x$
in the conventional way.
Then $x$ is a proper divisor of $y$ if and only if:
- $(1): \quad x \divides y$
- $(2): \quad \size x \ne \size y$
- $(3): \quad x \ne \pm 1$
That is:
- $(1): \quad x$ is a divisor of $y$
- $(2): \quad x$ and $y$ are not equal in absolute value
- $(3): \quad x$ is not equal to either $1$ or $-1$.
Examples
Example: $21$
The proper divisors of $12$ are:
- $1, 3, 7$
Also known as
A proper divisor is also known as a proper factor.
An older name for a proper divisor of an integer is aliquot part.
Also see
- Results about proper divisors can be found here.
Sources
- 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): Glossary
- 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): proper factor
- 1997: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Glossary
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): proper divisor
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): proper divisor
- 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): proper factor
- 2021: Richard Earl and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (6th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): proper factor