What are Prime Numbers? [Definition, Facts & Example]

What are Prime Numbers?

In math, prime numbers are whole numbers greater than 1, that have only two factors – 1 and the number itself.

Prime numbers are divisible only by the number 1 or itself.

For example, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11 are the first few prime numbers.

Prime numbers two factors one and the number itself

Here’s a list of all the prime numbers up to 100, marked in yellow.

List of prime numbers chart 1 to 100

Fun Facts

1 is neither a prime number nor a composite number.
The only even prime number is 2.
No prime number greater than 5 ends in a 5.

Let's sing!

Prime numbers are 2, 3, 5 and 7,

And so is the whole number 11.

They have no other factors on the shelf,

Except for 1 and the number itself!

Let's do it!

Ask your children to identify the numbers you say as prime or not prime. You can further ask them to find the prime number factors that the ‘not prime’ numbers consist of.

$related math vocabulary$ Related math vocabulary

Whole Number, Factors, Greater than, Composite Number

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