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Mathematics vocabulary · Numbers and Operations

Prime number

Meaning in mathematics, with examples

nounCore term

In mathematics, prime number means: A whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself, such as 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11.

In Turkish: asal sayı

How it is used

Often shortened to 'prime': '7 is a prime', 'the primes less than 20'. Whole numbers greater than 1 that are not prime are called composite numbers. Breaking a number into primes is called prime factorisation.

Example sentences

  1. Is 91 a prime number? No, it's 7 times 13.

  2. Two is the only even prime number.

Common collocations

  • prime number
  • prime factor
  • prime factorisation
  • composite number
  • factorA number or expression that divides another exactly, with no remainder; the factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12.
  • integerA whole number that can be positive, negative or zero, such as −3, 0 or 25, with no fractional or decimal part.
  • productThe result you get when you multiply numbers or expressions together; for example, the product of 3 and 5 is 15.
  • greatest common divisorThe largest whole number that divides two or more numbers exactly; the greatest common divisor of 12 and 18 is 6.

More terms: Numbers and Operations

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