Prime and Composite Numbers Practice Problems Online

Master prime and composite number identification with interactive practice problems. Learn to distinguish primes from composites using factor analysis and division rules.

📚Master Prime and Composite Number Identification
  • Identify prime numbers by testing divisibility by 1 and themselves only
  • Recognize composite numbers through factor pair identification and multiplication
  • Apply the special rule that 2 is the only even prime number
  • Understand why 1 is neither prime nor composite using mathematical definitions
  • Practice factoring composite numbers into products of smaller natural numbers
  • Solve real-world problems involving prime and composite number classification

Understanding Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Complete explanation with examples

Definitions of Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Prime number

A prime number is a natural number that is divisible only by itself and by 11.

Composite number

A composite number is a number that can be written as the product of two natural numbers smaller than it, with the exception of 11 and itself.

The number 11 –> is a special number that is neither prime nor composite.
The number 22 –> is the only even number that is prime.

Illustration of factor trees demonstrating prime numbers (2, 3, 5, 7) with factors of one and themselves, and composite numbers (4, 6, 8, 10) with multiple factor combinations.

Detailed explanation

Practice Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Test your knowledge with 9 quizzes

Which of the numbers is a prime number?

Examples with solutions for Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

Is the number equal to n n prime or composite?

n=10 n=10

Step-by-Step Solution

A number is classified as prime if it has exactly two distinct positive divisors: 1 and itself. Conversely, a number is composite if it has more than two divisors.

Given the number n=10 n = 10 , we need to determine whether it is prime or composite.

Let's test the divisibility of 10 by numbers other than 1 and 10:

  • Check divisibility by 2: Since 10 is an even number, it is divisible by 2. Specifically, 10÷2=5 10 \div 2 = 5 with no remainder.
  • Check divisibility by 3: 10÷33.333 10 \div 3 \approx 3.333 , which is not an integer, hence not divisible.
  • Check divisibility by 5: 10÷5=2 10 \div 5 = 2 with no remainder, showing divisibility by 5.

Since 10 is divisible by numbers other than 1 and itself (specifically 2 and 5), it is not prime. Therefore, the number 10 is composite.

In conclusion, the number 10 is a composite number.

Answer:

Composite

Video Solution
Exercise #2

Is the number equal to n n prime or composite?

n=20 n=20

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if n=20 n = 20 is prime or composite, we need to examine its divisors.

  • Step 1: Identify divisors of 20, other than 1 and 20 itself.
    Since 20 is an even number, it is divisible by 2. So, 2 is a divisor of 20.
  • Step 2: Check divisibility by other small numbers:
    - 20 divided by 4 equals 5 (another divisor).
    - Additionally, 20÷5=4 20 \div 5 = 4 , confirming 5 is also a divisor.

Since 20 has divisors other than 1 and itself (including 2, 4, and 5), it is not a prime number.

Therefore, the number n=20 n = 20 is Composite.

Answer:

Composite

Video Solution
Exercise #3

Is the number equal to n n prime or composite?

n=19 n=19

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if the number 19 is prime, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Check if the number is greater than 1. Since 19>1 19 > 1 , proceed to the next step.
  • Step 2: Identify potential divisors for 19 by considering integers from 2 up to 19\lfloor \sqrt{19} \rfloor.

The square root of 19 is approximately 4.36, and thus we test divisibility by integers 2, 3, and 4.

  • 19 divided by 2: The quotient is not an integer (it gives 9.5).
  • 19 divided by 3: The quotient is not an integer (it gives 6.333...).
  • 19 divided by 4: The quotient is not an integer (it gives 4.75).

None of these divisions result in an integer, meaning 19 has no divisors other than 1 and 19 itself.

Therefore, the number 19 is prime.

Answer:

Prime

Video Solution
Exercise #4

Is the number equal to n n prime or composite?

n=4 n=4

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if the number n=4 n = 4 is prime or composite, we will follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Understand the definitions.
    A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. A composite number has additional divisors.
  • Step 2: Identify divisors of 4.
    We list out the divisors of 4, starting from 1: They are 1, 2, and 4.
  • Step 3: Analyze the divisors.
    The number 4 has more than two divisors: 1, 2, and 4. This means it can be divided by numbers other than 1 and itself.

Conclusion: Since 4 has divisors other than 1 and itself (specifically, it is divisible by 2), it is not a prime number. Therefore, 4 is classified as a composite number.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is Composite.

Answer:

Composite

Video Solution
Exercise #5

Is the number equal to n n prime or composite?

n=36 n=36

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine whether 36 is a prime or composite number, we need to check if it has divisors other than 1 and 36:

  • Step 1: Calculate the square root of 36, which is 6. This means we only need to test divisibility by numbers up to and including 6.
  • Step 2: Check divisibility by 2. Since 36 is an even number (divisible by 2), it has a divisor other than 1 and itself.

Therefore, since 36 is divisible by 2 (and also by other numbers such as 3, 4, and more), it has divisors other than just 1 and 36. This means it cannot be a prime number.

Conclusively, the number 36 is Composite.

Answer:

Composite

Video Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between prime and composite numbers?

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Prime numbers are natural numbers divisible only by 1 and themselves (like 2, 3, 5, 7). Composite numbers can be written as products of two smaller natural numbers besides 1 and themselves (like 4=2×2, 6=2×3, 8=2×4).

Is 1 a prime or composite number?

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The number 1 is neither prime nor composite. It's a special case because it's only divisible by itself (which is 1), and it can only be written as 1×1, not meeting the definition of either prime or composite numbers.

Why is 2 the only even prime number?

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All even numbers except 2 are composite because they're divisible by 2 and another number. Since 2 is only divisible by 1 and itself, it's prime, making it the unique even prime number.

How do you check if a number is prime or composite?

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To check: 1) Try dividing the number by small primes (2, 3, 5, 7, etc.) up to its square root. 2) If it divides evenly by any of these, it's composite. 3) If no divisors are found except 1 and itself, it's prime.

What are the first 10 prime numbers?

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The first 10 prime numbers are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 29. Notice that 2 is the only even number in this list, and all others are odd numbers.

Can composite numbers have more than two factors?

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Yes, composite numbers can have multiple factor pairs. For example, 20 has factors 1×20, 2×10, and 4×5. It can also be written as a product of three factors: 2×2×5.

What are some examples of large prime numbers?

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Some larger prime numbers include 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, and 79. These require more careful checking since they have no obvious small factors.

How are prime and composite numbers used in real life?

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Prime numbers are essential in cryptography and internet security for encoding sensitive data. Composite numbers appear in areas like organizing objects into equal groups, finding common denominators in fractions, and understanding multiplication patterns.

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