Is -2 a prime number?

The number -2 has 2 factors, which are -1 and -2. Since prime numbers are only positive integers and -2 is a negative number, it cannot be considered a prime number.

A prime number is defined as a positive integer greater than 1 that has only two factors: 1 and the number itself. Since -2 is negative and does not meet these criteria, it is not 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 -2 would simply be

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

The number -2 is not a prime number because it is negative.

In the division method, 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, a prime number only has 2 divisors, which are 1 and itself.

The divisors of -2 are -1 and -2.

Thus, -2 cannot be considered a prime number as it does not meet the criteria for prime numbers.

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

-2 is not present in the list, so it is not a prime number.

Prime Number: A prime number is a positive integer greater than 1 with only two factors: 1 and the number itself. Examples include 2, 3, 5, and 7.

Divisors: Divisors are the numbers that divide another number exactly, without leaving a remainder. For example, the divisors of 6 are 1, 2, 3, and 6.

Composite Number: A composite number is a positive integer greater than 1 that has more than two divisors. For example, 4, 6, and 9 are composite numbers.

Prime Factorization: The prime factorization of a number is expressing that number as the product of prime numbers. For example, the prime factorization of 12 is 2 × 2 × 3.

Negative Number: A negative number is any number less than zero. In the context of prime numbers, negative numbers cannot be prime, as prime numbers must be positive integers.