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Last updated on December 5th, 2024
Prime numbers are numbers with 1 and the number itself as its factor, which helps in simplifying arithmetic problems. This article will let us learn how to check for a prime number.
Numbers can be of two types, prime and composite. For the numbers to be identified as prime, it should have two factors. Number 17 only has two factors which are 1 and 17, making it a prime.
For a number to be identified as prime, it should satisfy the following two requirements:
A number is a factor of only 2 numbers
A number should have only two divisors, 1 and the number itself.
If the given numbers satisfy the above-mentioned conditions, then it falls into the category of prime numbers.
The methods to see if a number is prime or not are:
The divisors of the given number will be listed to check if it meets the conditions of a prime number.
Factors of 17= 1, 17
17 has only two factors, it is a prime
Divisibility Method
In this method, the total number of divisors is counted to see if a number is prime.
Divisors of 17 = 1 and 17
Number of divisors = 2
The list of prime numbers up to 20 are 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 and 19.
From this, we can say that 17 is a prime number.
In this method, we break a number into its prime factors. In the case of 17, it cannot be factored into any prime numbers. Therefore, we conclude that 17 is a prime number