List the factors of 34 and 72, and sort them into prime and composite numbers.

Prime numbers are integers, greater than 1, only divisible by themselves and 1 (e.g. 7 and 13)
Composite numbers are also integers greater than 1, which can be divided by at least one other factor, save themselves and 1 (e.g. 50 divides by 50 and 1, but also 25, 2, 5 and 10)
The factors of 34: 34, 1, 17, 2 Of these:

2 and 17 are prime
34 is composite (it divides by 17 and 2 as well as itself and 1)
1 is neither prime nor composite, because it is not greater than 1

The factors of 72: 72, 1, 36, 2, 24, 3, 18, 4, 12, 6, 9, 8 Of these:

2 and 3 are prime
72, 36, 24, 18, 4, 12, 6, 9 and 8 are composite
1 is neither prime nor composite, because it is not greater than 1

For the sake of interest, 6 is a special type of number known as a perfect number. This is because it is equal to the sum of all its integer factors (except for 6 of course!): 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. The next is 28, then 496, then 8128. After this, they become extremely large, because they become increasingly uncommon as you keep counting upwards...

Answered by DavidOrrell | 2024-06-10

The factors of 34 are 1, 2, 17, and 34, with 2 and 17 as prime and 34 as composite. The factors of 72 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 72, with 2 and 3 as prime and 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 72 as composite. The number 1 is neither prime nor composite.
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Answered by DavidOrrell | 2024-12-26