You’ve already learned several ways to classify a whole number: as positive, negative, or 0; as the opposite of a number, in terms of the whole numbers by which it’s divisible, and in terms of its multiples. Another way to classify a whole number greater than 1 is as either a “prime” number or a “composite” number. A whole number will either be a prime number or a composite number, but it can’t be both.
Read MoreRemember that you learned previously that a prime number is a whole number greater than 1 which is divisible by only 1 and itself. In contrast, a composite number is a whole number greater than 1 which is divisible by 1 and itself, but also by at least one other number. This lesson is all about prime factorization and product of primes, so we’ll define what these mean. Before we do that, however, we need to talk about factors.
Read More
