Imagine numbers are like building blocks. Prime Numbers are the most basic, special blocks you can have.
A prime number is a whole number greater than 1 that can only be divided evenly by two numbers: 1 and itself.
For example, the number 7 is prime. You can only do 7 ÷ 1 = 7 and 7 ÷ 7 = 1. No other whole numbers can divide it perfectly.
Numbers that are not prime are called Composite Numbers. They can be divided by more than just 1 and themselves. For example, 6 is composite because you can divide it by 1, 2, 3, and 6.
- The first few prime numbers are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19...
- The number 2 is the only even prime number!
- The numbers 0 and 1 are special cases - they are neither prime nor composite.