Is 587 a prime number?

The number 587 has got several factors, that are capable of dividing the number completely without leaving any remainder. Thus the number 587 is a non-prime number. The factors of 587 include 1, 587.

A number to be a prime number should follow the criteria, which is that it should not have factors more than 2. Here, 587 has only 2 factors, hence making it 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 to be checked whether the number is divisible by any numbers other than 1 and the number itself.

The counting divisors method for 587 would simply be:

Divisors of 587 = 1, 587
Number of divisors = 2

The number 587 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 587 are 1 and 587.

Thus, 587 consists of 2 factors that divide it completely without any remainder.
 

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, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97.

587 is not present in the list, but it is greater than 100 and a prime number.
 

• Prime Number: A number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. For example, 2, 3, and 5 are prime numbers. A prime number has exactly two distinct divisors.

• Composite Number: A positive integer greater than 1 that has more than two positive divisors, meaning it can be divided evenly by numbers other than 1 and itself. 587 is a composite number because it has divisors 1, 19, 31, and 587.

• Divisibility Test: A method used to determine if a number is divisible by another number without performing the actual division. This test helps identify factors of a number, which are crucial in determining whether a number is prime or composite.

• Prime Factorization: The process of breaking down a number into its prime factors, which are the prime numbers that multiply together to give the original number. For 587, the prime factorization is 19 × 31.

• Square Root: A number that, when multiplied by itself, gives the original number. In determining whether a number is prime, it is common to check divisibility by all numbers less than or equal to the square root of the number. This helps avoid unnecessary checks.