Is 260 a prime number?

The number 260 has got 12 factors that are capable of dividing the number completely without leaving any remainder. Thus, the number 260 is a non-prime number. The factors of 260 include 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 20, 26, 52, 65, 130, and 260.

A number to be a prime number should follow the criteria that it should not have factors more than 2. Here, 260 has more than 2 factors, hence making it a composite 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 260 would simply be:

Divisors of 260 = 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 20, 26, 52, 65, 130, 260
Number of divisors = 12

The number 260 can be considered composite.
 

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 260 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 20, 26, 52, 65, 130, and 260.

Thus, 260 consists of 12 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 300 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, 101, 103, 107, 109, 113, 127, 131, 137, 139, 149, 151, 157, 163, 167, 173, 179, 181, 191, 193, 197, 199, 211, 223, 227, 229, 233, 239, 241, 251, 257, 263, 269, 271, 277, 281, 283, 293.

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

This method is only used for a non-prime number/composite number. Since 260 is a composite number, the prime factorization for 260 is:

Factors of 260 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 13
 

• Prime Number: A number greater than 1 that has exactly two distinct divisors: 1 and itself. For example, 2, 3, and 5 are prime numbers.

• Composite Number: A number greater than 1 that has more than two divisors. For instance, 260 is a composite number because it has 12 divisors.

• Divisors: Numbers that divide a given number completely without leaving a remainder. For 260, divisors include 1, 2, 4, and others up to 260 itself.

• Prime Factorization: Breaking down a number into a product of prime numbers. For example, the prime factorization of 260 is 2²×5×13

• Divisibility Test: A method used to determine if a number can be divided by another number without a remainder. This test helps identify whether a number is prime or composite.