-A prime number is a whole numbergreater than 1, whose only two whole-number factors are 1 and itself. The first few prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 29.
- A whole number that can be divided evenly by numbers other than 1 or itself. Example: 9 can be divided evenly by 3 (as well as 1 and 9), so 9 is acomposite number. But 7 cannot be divided evenly (except by 1 and 7), so is NOT a composite number (it is a prime number).