What is a prime number?
Prime numbers are special numbers, greater than 1, that have exactly two factors, themselves and 1.
19 is a prime number. It can only be divided by 1 and 19.
9 is not a prime number. It can be divided by 3 as well as 1 and 9.
The prime numbers below 20 are:
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19
The number 1 is not a prime number as it only has one factor.
Watch: Prime numbers
Activity 1
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Teaching resources
Looking for even more resources to help engage students in your maths lessons? Get stuck into Prime numbers, composite numbers and factors with the Prime Suspects in this animated short clip.
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More on Factors, multiples and primes
Find out more by working through a topic
- count4 of 4
- count1 of 4
- count2 of 4
