Is 285 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, such as:

• 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 285 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 285 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:

• Counting Divisors Method
   
• Divisibility Test
   
• Prime Number Chart
   
• 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 numbers as prime or composite.

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 285 is prime or composite.

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

Step 2: Divide 285 by 2. It is not divisible by 2, so 2 is not a factor of 285.

Step 3: Divide 285 by 3. It is divisible by 3, so 3 is a factor of 285.

Step 4: Divide 285 by 5. It is divisible by 5, so 5 is a factor of 285.

Step 5: You can simplify checking divisors up to 285 by finding the root value and checking divisors up to the root value.

Since 285 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 5, which is odd, so 285 is not divisible by 2.

Divisibility by 3: The sum of the digits in the number 285 is 15. Since 15 is divisible by 3, 285 is also divisible by 3.

Divisibility by 5: The unit’s place digit is 5. Therefore, 285 is divisible by 5.

Divisibility by 7: The last digit in 285 is 5. To check divisibility by 7, double the last digit (5 × 2 = 10). Then, subtract it from the rest of the number (28 - 10 = 18). Since 18 is not divisible by 7, 285 is also not divisible by 7.

Divisibility by 11: In 285, the difference between the sum of the digits in odd positions and even positions is 1. This means that 285 is not divisible by 11.

Since 285 is divisible by 3 and 5, it has more than two factors. Therefore, it is a composite number.

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

Step 1: Write numbers from 1 to 100 in 10 rows and 10 columns.

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 from 1 to 100. The list is 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, and 97.

285 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 and then multiplying those factors to obtain the original number.

Step 1: We can write 285 as 3 × 95.

Step 2: In 3 × 95, 95 is a composite number. Further, break 95 into 5 × 19.

Step 3: Now we get the product consisting of only prime numbers.

Hence, the prime factorization of 285 is 3 × 5 × 19.

• Composite numbers: Natural numbers greater than 1 that are divisible by more than 2 numbers are called composite numbers. For example, 12 is a composite number because 12 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12.
  
   
• Prime factorization: Breaking down a number into its prime factors and multiplying them to get the original number. For example, the prime factorization of 20 is 2 × 2 × 5.
  
   
• Divisibility rules: Set of rules that help determine if one number is divisible by another without performing division.
  
   
• Co-prime numbers: Two numbers that have only one common factor, which is 1. For example, 8 and 15 are co-prime.
   
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• Sieve of Eratosthenes: An ancient algorithm used to find all prime numbers up to a specified integer.