The difference between 3 and 6 is like in the image: 3 comes alone to the party, and 6 comes with two of its friends: the proper factors 2 and 3. Number 6, instead, has two proper factors: 2 and 3, because 6 = 2 × 3. Let’s explore more differences between prime and composite numbers.įor example, 3 = 1 × 3 doesn’t have proper factors, because 2 doesn’t divide it: 3 = (2×1) + 1. Thus, 2 doesn’t have proper factors, and it is, therefore, a prime number.Ī composite number is a natural number that has proper factors. For example, the only factors of 2 are 1 and 2. Thus, the proper factors of 8 are 2 and 4.Ī natural number is called a prime number if it is greater than 1, and it doesn’t have proper factors.
Moreover, a proper factor of a natural number is a factor that is different from 1 and from the number itself. For example, the factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8, because 8 = 8 × 1 = 2 × 4. A factor of a natural number is a positive divisor of it.
