composite numbers are
Composite numbers are positive integers greater than 1 that are not prime
Composite numbers are positive integers greater than 1 that are not prime. In other words, composite numbers have more than two distinct positive divisors.
To determine if a number is composite, we can check if it has any divisors other than 1 and itself. We can do this by dividing the number by all integers from 2 to the square root of the number. If any of these divisions result in an integer quotient, then the number is composite.
For example, let’s check if the number 12 is composite. We divide 12 by integers from 2 to the square root of 12, which is approximately 3.46.
When we divide 12 by 2, we get a quotient of 6. When we divide 12 by 3, we get a quotient of 4. When we divide 12 by 4, we get a quotient of 3. Since there are divisors other than 1 and 12, we can conclude that 12 is composite.
Some examples of composite numbers are 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and so on.
In contrast, a prime number is a positive integer greater than 1 that has exactly two distinct positive divisors, 1 and itself. Prime numbers cannot be divided evenly by any other positive integer.
Examples of prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, and so on.
Remember that 1 is neither prime nor composite, as it does not meet the criteria for either category.
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