What is Prime Number? Definition, Meaning & Example
A natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself.
TL;DR: A natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself.
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Prime Number: A natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself.
Explanation
Prime numbers are the building blocks of all natural numbers. The first few prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 29. The number 2 is the only even prime number; all other primes are odd. Prime numbers are infinitely many, as proven by Euclid. Every natural number greater than 1 can be expressed as a unique product of prime numbers, called prime factorization. Finding large prime numbers is important for computer security and encryption. In Indian mathematics education, identifying primes and factorization is a fundamental skill.
Example
The number 17 is prime because its only divisors are 1 and 17. The number 15 is not prime because it can be divided by 1, 3, 5, and 15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1 a prime number?
No, by definition prime numbers must be greater than 1. The number 1 is neither prime nor composite.
What is the largest prime number?
There is no largest prime number; infinitely many primes exist. However, the largest known prime has millions of digits.
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