Is 1226 a Prime Number?

There are two types of numbers, mostly — Prime numbers and composite numbers, depending on the number of factors. A prime number is a natural number that is divisible only by 1 and itself. For example, 3 is a prime number because it is divisible by 1 and itself.

A composite number is a positive number that is divisible by more than two numbers. For example, 6 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, and 6, making it a composite number.

Prime numbers follow a few properties like:

• Prime numbers are positive numbers always greater than 1.
• 2 is the only even prime number.
• They have only two factors: 1 and the number itself.
• Any two distinct prime numbers are co-prime numbers because they have only one common factor, which is 1.
• As 1226 has more than two factors, it is not a prime number.

The characteristic of a prime number is that it has only two divisors: 1 and itself. Since 1226 has more than two factors, it is not a prime number. Several methods are used to distinguish between prime and composite numbers. A few methods are:

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

The method in which we count the number of divisors to categorize the numbers as prime or composite is called the counting divisors method. Based on the count of the divisors, we categorize prime and composite numbers.

• If there is a total count of only 2 divisors, then the number would be prime.
• If the count is more than 2, then the number is composite.

Let’s check whether 1226 is prime or composite.

Step 1: All numbers are divisible by 1 and itself.

Step 2: Divide 1226 by 2. It is divisible by 2, so 2 is a factor of 1226.

Step 3: Divide 1226 by 3. It is not divisible by 3, so 3 is not a factor of 1226.

Step 4: You can simplify checking divisors up to 1226 by finding the root value. We then need to only check divisors up to the root value.

Step 5: When we divide 1226 by 2 and 613, it is divisible by both.

Since 1226 has more than 2 divisors, it is a composite number.

We use a set of rules to check whether a number is divisible by another number completely or not. It is called the Divisibility Test Method.

Divisibility by 2: The number in the ones place value is 6. Six is an even number, which means that 1226 is divisible by 2.

Divisibility by 3: The sum of the digits in the number 1226 is 11. Since 11 is not divisible by 3, 1226 is also not divisible by 3.

Divisibility by 5: The unit’s place digit is 6. Therefore, 1226 is not divisible by 5.

Divisibility by 7: The last digit in 1226 is 6. To check divisibility by 7, double the last digit (6 × 2 = 12). Then, subtract it from the rest of the number (122 - 12 = 110). Since 110 is not divisible by 7, 1226 is also not divisible by 7.

Divisibility by 11: In 1226, the sum of the digits in odd positions is 4, and the sum of the digits in even positions is 4. The difference is 0, meaning that 1226 is divisible by 11.

Since 1226 is divisible by 2 and 11, it has more than two factors. Therefore, it is a composite number.

The prime number chart is a tool created by using a method called “The Sieve of Eratosthenes.” In this method, we follow the following steps.

Step 1: Write numbers in a sequence, such as 1 to 1200.

Step 2: Leave 1 without coloring or crossing, as it is neither prime nor composite.

Step 3: Mark 2 because it is a prime number and cross out all the multiples of 2.

Step 4: Mark 3 because it is a prime number and cross out all the multiples of 3.

Step 5: Repeat this process until you reach the table consisting of marked and crossed boxes, except 1. Through this process, we will have a list of prime numbers.

1226 is not present in the list of prime numbers, so it is a composite number.

Prime factorization is a process of breaking down a number into prime factors. Then multiply those factors to obtain the original number.

Step 1: We can write 1226 as 2 × 613.

Step 2: In 2 × 613, both numbers are prime.

Step 3: The product consists of prime numbers, but since 1226 is not composed of only one prime number, it is a composite number with factors 2 and 613.

• Composite numbers: Natural numbers greater than 1 that are divisible by more than 2 numbers are called composite numbers. For example, 1226 is a composite number because it is divisible by 1, 2, 613, and 1226.

• Prime numbers: Numbers that have only two factors, 1 and themselves, are called prime numbers. Examples include 2, 3, and 5.

• Factors: The numbers that divide the number exactly without leaving a remainder are called factors. For example, the factors of 4 are 1, 2, and 4 because they divide 4 completely.

• Divisibility rules: Guidelines used to determine if one number is divisible by another without performing full division. For example, a number is divisible by 2 if its last digit is even.

• Prime factorization: The process of expressing a number as the product of its prime factors. For example, the prime factorization of 18 is 2 × 3 × 3.