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## Pre-algebra

### Course: Pre-algebra>Unit 1

Lesson 2: Prime and composite numbers

# Prime and composite numbers review

Review prime and composite numbers, and try some practice problems.

## What are prime numbers?

Prime numbers are numbers with exactly 2 factors.
A prime number's only factors are start color #1fab54, 1, end color #1fab54 and the number start color #7854ab, start text, i, t, s, e, l, f, end text, end color #7854ab.
7 is an example of a prime number. Its only factors are start color #1fab54, 1, end color #1fab54 and start color #7854ab, 7, end color #7854ab. It is not evenly divisible by any other whole numbers.

## Practice set 1: Identifying prime numbers

Problem 1A
• Current
Which of these numbers is prime?
12, comma, space, 42, comma, space, 61, comma, space, 87, comma, space, 95

Want to try more problems like this? Check out this exercise.

## What are composite numbers?

Composite numbers have more than 2 factors. A composite number has factors in addition to 1 and the number start text, i, t, s, e, l, f, end text.
16 is an example of a composite number. The factors of 16 are 1, comma, 2, comma, 4, comma, 8 and 16, point All of these numbers divide into 16 evenly.

## Practice set 2: Identifying composite numbers

Problem 2A
• Current
Which of these numbers is composite?
29, comma, space, 41, comma, space, 47, comma, space, 82, comma, space, 89

Want to try more problems like this? Check out this exercise.

## Want to join the conversation?

• How did scientists discover about prime numbers
Edit: that was a weird question….
• I actually have no idea. But I imagine that a mathematician found out that some numbers can only be divided by one and itself. But I am not sure.
• is 2 the only even prime number
• yeah it is the only even prime number
• One question about this: is 1 a prime or a composite number? Neither of those numbers.
• Its a neither because it is cannot be divisible by 2 natural number or it has only on factor
• Is 1 a prime number or a compsite number?
• It is neither prime nor composite because it's only factor is 1.
• Why is 2 the lone even prime number?
• A number is prime only if it can be divided by 1 and itself. Because the only factors of 2 are 1 and 2, 2 matches the definition of a prime number and is, therefore, prime.
• is 349,860,748,398 a composite or prime?
• Composite. It is divisible by other numbers than 2, such as 3.
• whats the point of learning about prime and composites if no one really uses them outside of school?
• In order to learn how to work with fractions, you need to know the difference between prime & composite numbers. Fractions exist in many real life situations outside of school.