Thursday, May 18, 2006
What Is A Prime Number? What Is A Composite Number?
A prime number is a positive, whole number that has exactly two factors, 1 and itself. For example, 29 is a prime number because it has only two factors: 1 and 29.
A composite number has more factors than just 1 and itself. For example, 14 is a composite number because it has more than two factors. The factors of 14 are 1, 2, 7 and 14.
If you are trying to express a number as a product of its prime factors, try drawing a factor tree. For instructions on how to draw a factor tree click here.
