Odd and even

Hello, and welcome to Myriora Maths! Is seven odd, or even? And how could you tell, without counting? Let's find out!

Why do odd and even matter? Imagine sharing sweets with your brother or sister. With eight sweets, you get four each. Fair! With seven sweets, there's one left over. Somebody's going to argue!

Let's make pairs. Even numbers make pairs, with nothing left over. Two, four, six, eight, ten. Odd numbers always have one left over. One, three, five, seven, nine.

For big numbers, just look at the last digit. If it ends in zero, two, four, six or eight, it's even. If it ends in one, three, five, seven or nine, it's odd. So three hundred and forty-six is even!

But why only the last digit? Because tens always make pairs. Ten is five pairs, with nothing left over. So in forty-six, the four tens pair up perfectly. Only the six ones are left to check. Six makes three pairs, so forty-six is even!

Here's one people wonder about. Is zero odd, or even? Zero things make zero pairs, with nothing left over. So zero is even! And numbers ending in zero, like thirty, or a hundred, are even too.

Let's try one together. Is fifty-eight odd, or even? Look at the last digit. Say your answer out loud!

Fifty-eight ends in eight. Eight is even, so fifty-eight is even. Well done if you said even!

Odd and even take turns along the number line: odd, even, odd, even. And here's a fun fact: odd plus odd is always even! Three plus five is eight.

Here's a question that catches lots of people. Is seventy-four odd, or even? Some people look at the seven, and say odd. But the seven is in the tens place, and tens always make pairs. Look at the last digit: four. Seventy-four is even.

Your turn! Is two hundred and nineteen odd, or even? Pick the right card. You've got fifteen seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! Two hundred and nineteen ends in nine, and nine is odd. So it's odd!

Quick review. Even numbers make pairs. Odd numbers have one left over. And the last digit tells you which. See you next time!