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Last updated on December 1st, 2024

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Is 55 a Prime Number?

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Mathematicians have a saying that prime numbers are the cool kids. They have two factors: 1 and the number. Prime numbers are used in music and also in coding languages. So let us jump into prime numbers and determine why 55 is not a prime number.

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Why is 55 not a prime number?

We could find that a number is prime if it has 2 factors only, 1 and the number itself. It means that a number, not satisfying these conditions, cannot be a prime number. However, there are pretty simple methods to determine whether a number is prime or not:

 

 

  • Count Divisor Method

 

  • Divisibility Test

 

  • Prime Number Table

 

  • Prime Factorization

 

Let's see how each of these tests helps us in finding prime numbers.

 

is 55 a prime number
 

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Using the Counting Divisors Method

The name implies: We’re counting how many divisors a given number has, and then saying that number is prime. It is easy to learn. With that said, let’s see what steps are there in this method.

 

 

  • Divisors of 55: 1,5,11 and 55.

 

  • Number of divisors: 4

 

We can see that number 55 has four divisors. And we see that it doesn’t fulfill the criteria needed for a prime number. So it is not a prime number.
 

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Using the Divisibility Test Method

Let's check 55 is divisible by how many numbers. If 55 is divisible by even one of the numbers, then it will not be a prime number. Let's check the divisibility with 2,3,5 and 7. 

 

  • That is, any number ending in an even number is divisible by 2. And 55 ends with an odd number. Actually, 5 is not a multiple of 2, so it is an odd number. So that 55 will not be divisible by 2 and it is not a prime number.

 

  • The sum of the digits of the number 55 is 10. Now, in order to be divisible by 3, the sum of the digits needs to be a multiple of 3. Since 10 is not a multiple of 3. Therefore, 55 is not divisible by 3.

 

  • 55 does end in 0 or 5. To be divisible by 5 a number should end in 0 or 5. So, 55 can be divided by 5.

 

  • We know how to see whether 55 is divisible by 7. Let's simply glance at the last digit, which is 5. We have doubled that 5 to get 10, then subtract the other digit, which is 5. So, we do 10 – 5 = 5. Since 5 is not a multiple of 7, it means that 55 is not divisible by 7.

 

We see that 55 is exactly divisible by one of the above numbers. Hence, 55 is not a prime number.
 

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Using A Prime Number Chart

Here, we will be using a chart that will contain all the prime numbers between 1 and 100. If the given number appears in the list, it is not a prime number. 

 

 

 

 

We can see that 55 does not appear here. So, it is not a prime number.

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Using the Prime Factorization Method

This method is used to break huge numbers into smaller numbers and find the prime factors of the given number.

We know the prime factorization of 55 is 13×5. Since there are more than two factors for 55, we can not call 55 a prime number.
 

Max Pointing Out Common Math Mistakes

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Determining If 55 Is a Prime Number?

Ray Thinking Deeply About Math Problems

FAQs: Is 55 a Prime Number?

1.How many factors are prime for 55?

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2.Is 55 a multiple of 5 and 11?

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3.Why is 55 a prime number?

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4.LCM of 5, 11 and 55 is which?

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5.What two numbers can be multiplied to get 55?

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Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Important Glossaries for "Is 55 a Prime Number"

  • Divisors:  A number that divides another number and leaves no remainder is called divisors.For example, 4/2=2. Here, 2 is a divisor, as it divides 4 exactly and leaves no remainder.

 

  • Composite number: The number which possesses more than 1 factor is named as composite number. Like, example- 18 is factored into 2×32, thus it is a composite number.

 

  • Natural number: All the numbers that are positive and whole numbers form 1.

 

  • Multiple: The product of 2 number is called a multiple. For example, 6 and 9 are multiples of 3.
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Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana

About the Author

Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana has almost two years of teaching experience. She is a number ninja as she loves numbers. Her interest in numbers can be seen in the way she cracks math puzzles and hidden patterns.

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Max, the Girl Character from BrightChamps

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: She loves to read number jokes and games.

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