Is 1987 a prime number?

The number 1987 has only 2 factors, 1 and 1987 itself, making it a prime number. It is not divisible by any number other than 1 and itself, indicating that it is indeed a prime number.

A number is considered prime if it has only two distinct factors: 1 and itself. Since 1987 has no other divisors, it meets the criteria to be a prime number.

Given below are a few ways that can be used to find prime or composite numbers.

The different methods we can use to check if a number is a prime number are explained below:

1. Counting Divisors Method
2. Divisibility Test
3. Prime Number Chart
4. Prime Factorization

For the counting divisors method, it is checked whether the number is divisible by any numbers other than 1 and the number itself.

The counting divisors method for 1987 would simply be:

Divisors of 1987 = 1, 1987
Number of divisors = 2

The number 1987 can be considered prime.

In the division test, we try to divide the number by any of the prime numbers. If we cannot, then it is considered a prime number.

In the divisibility method, the prime number only has 2 divisors, which are 1 and itself.

The divisors of 1987 are 1 and 1987.

Thus, 1987 consists of only 2 factors, confirming that it is a prime number.

The prime number chart is the list of prime numbers starting from 2 to infinity.

The list of prime numbers under 100 are:
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97.

1987 is not present in this list, but it doesn't need to be, since we already confirmed its primality by other methods.

Prime Number: A natural number greater than 1 has only two divisors: 1 and itself. For example, 1987 is a prime number because it is only divisible by 1 and 1987.

Divisibility Test: A method used to check whether a number can be divided by another number without leaving a remainder. If a number is divisible by any other number besides 1 and itself, it is not a prime number.

Divisors: The numbers that divide a given number exactly, without leaving a remainder. For 1987, the divisors are 1 and 1987.

Composite Number: A number that has more than two divisors, meaning it can be divided by numbers other than 1 and itself. Since 1987 has only two divisors, it is not a composite number.

Prime Factorization: The process of breaking down a number into prime numbers that multiply together to give that number. Since 1987 is prime, its prime factorization is simply 1987 itself.