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23 Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Prime numbers can only be divided evenly by 1 or itself, while composite numbers can be divided evenly by other numbers besides 1 or itself. A prime number like 7 can only be divided evenly by 1 or 7, making it prime, while a number like 6 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, and 6, making it composite. The document goes on to provide more examples of distinguishing between prime and composite numbers based on their factors.

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257 views5 pages

23 Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Prime numbers can only be divided evenly by 1 or itself, while composite numbers can be divided evenly by other numbers besides 1 or itself. A prime number like 7 can only be divided evenly by 1 or 7, making it prime, while a number like 6 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, and 6, making it composite. The document goes on to provide more examples of distinguishing between prime and composite numbers based on their factors.

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Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

A Prime Number can be divided evenly only by 1 or itself.


And it must be a whole number greater than 1.

Example: 7 can only be divided evenly by 1 or 7, so it is a prime number.


But 6 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3 and 6 so it is NOT a prime number (it is a
composite number).
Let me explain ...

Some whole numbers can be divided up evenly, and some can't!

Example:

6 can be divided evenly by 2, or by 3:


6=23
But 7 cannot be divided up evenly.
And we give them names:

When a number can be divided up evenly it is a Composite Number

When a number can not be divided up evenly it is a Prime Number


So 6 is Composite, but 7 is Prime.

Not Into Fractions


We are only dealing with whole numbers here! We are not going to cut things into halves or
quarters.

Not Into Groups of 1


OK, we could have divided 7 into seven 1s (or one 7) like this:

7=1x7
But we could do that for any whole number!
So we should also say we are not interested in dividing by 1, or by the number itself.

It is a Prime Number when it can't be divided evenly by any number


(except 1 or itself).

Example: is

7 a Prime Number or Composite Number?

We cannot divide 7 evenly by 2 (we get 2 lots of 3, with one left over)

We cannot divide 7 evenly by 3 (we get 3 lots of 2, with one left over)

We cannot divide 7 evenly by 4, or 5, or 6.

We can only divide 7 into one group of 7 (or seven groups of 1):

7=1x7
So 7 can only be divided evenly by 1 or itself:
So 7 is a Prime Number
And also:

It is a Composite Number when it can be divided evenly


by numbers other than 1 or itself.
Like this:
Example: is

6 a Prime Number or Composite Number?

6 can be divided evenly by 2, or by 3, as well as by 1 or 6:

6=16
6=23
So 6 is a Composite Number
Sometimes a number can be divided evenly many ways:
Example: 12 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12:

1 12 = 12
2 6 = 12
3 4 = 12
So 12 is a Composite Number
And note this:

Any whole number greater than 1 is either Prime or Composite

What About 1?
Years ago 1 was included as a Prime, but now it is not:

1 is not Prime and also not Composite.

Factors
We can also define a Prime Number using factors.

"Factors" are numbers we multiply


together to get another number.
And we have:

When the only two factors of a number are 1 and the number,
then it is a Prime Number
It means the same as our previous definition, just stated using factors.
And remember this is only about Whole Numbers (1, 2, 3, ... etc), not fractions or negative
numbers. So don't say "I could multiply times 6 to get 3" OK?
Examples:

3=13
(the only factors are 1 and 3)

6=16

or

6=23

(the factors are 1,2,3 and 6)

Prime

Composite

Examples From 1 to 14
Factors other than 1 or the number itself are highlighted:
Number
1
2
3
4
5

Can be Evenly
Prime, or
Divided By
Composite?
(1 is not considered prime or composite)
1, 2
Prime
1, 3
Prime
1, 2, 4
Composite
1, 5
Prime

6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
...

1, 2, 3, 6
1, 7
1, 2, 4, 8
1, 3, 9
1, 2, 5, 10
1, 11
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
1, 13
1, 2, 7, 14
...

Composite
Prime
Composite
Composite
Composite
Prime
Composite
Prime
Composite
...

So when there are more factors than 1 or the number itself, the number is Composite.

Why All the Fuss about Prime and Composite?


Because we can "break apart" Composite Numbers into Prime Number factors.

It is like the Prime Numbers are the basic building blocks of all numbers.
And the Composite Numbers are made up of Prime Numbers multiplied together.

Example: 12 is made by multiplying the prime numbers 2, 2 and 3 together.

12 = 2 2 3
The number 2 was repeated, which is OK.
In fact we can write it like this using the exponent of 2:

12 = 22 3

And that is why they are called "Composite" Numbers because composite means
"something made by combining things".

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