Numbers can be like friends or loners. Prime numbers are the loners, they only have two friends: 1 and themselves. Composite numbers are the social ones, they have more than two friends, meaning they can be divided by other numbers besides 1 and themselves.
What’s a Prime Number?
A prime number is like a special kind of number that can’t be split evenly by any other number except 1 and itself. For example, 5 is a prime number because you can only divide it by 1 or 5.
What’s a Composite Number?
A composite number is the opposite, it has more than two friends. Like 6, which can be divided by 1, 2, 3, and 6.
Examples
- A prime number is like a cookie that can only be shared evenly by two people, you and your friend.
- A composite number is like a pizza that can be divided among many people, not just two.
- If 7 is the only number that divides 7 evenly, then it's a prime number.
Ask a question
See also
- What Makes Some People Better at Math Than Others?
- How Does a Fractal Work Exactly?
- What Makes a Coin Flip Fair?
- Why Is the Shape of a Pizza So Perfect?
- How Does a Clock Work?
Discussion
Recent activity
Nothing here yet.
Categories: Math · prime numbers,composite numbers,number theory