Prime Numbers Defined

A prime number is a whole number larger than the number 1 that can be divided evenly only by itself and 1. The first and smallest prime number is the number 2. It’s the only even prime number. All primes after 2 are odd because all even numbers can be divided evenly by 1, themselves, and 2. They don’t fit the definition of a prime number.

When you recognize that a number is prime, you don’t waste time trying to find things to divide into it when you’re reducing a fraction or factoring an expression. There are so many primes that you can’t memorize or recognize them all, but just knowing or memorizing the primes smaller than 100 is a big help.

Here are the prime numbers under 100; confirm for yourself that each can be divided evenly only by itself and one:

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

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