answer the following in a 6th graders words

Consider the numbers 13, 16, 27, and 41. a. Which of these numbers are prime? How do you know? b. Which of these numbers are composite? How do you know?

1 answer

Let's look at the numbers: 13, 16, 27, and 41.

a. Which of these numbers are prime? A prime number is a number that can only be divided by 1 and itself. It has exactly two factors.

  • 13: You can only divide it by 1 and 13. So, it's prime!
  • 16: You can divide it by 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16. So, it's not prime.
  • 27: You can divide it by 1, 3, 9, and 27. So, it's not prime.
  • 41: You can only divide it by 1 and 41. So, it's prime!

So, the prime numbers are 13 and 41.

b. Which of these numbers are composite? A composite number is a number that can be divided by 1, itself, and other numbers too. This means it has more than two factors.

  • 16: As we said, it can be divided by 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16. So, it's composite!
  • 27: It can be divided by 1, 3, 9, and 27. So, it’s also composite!

So, the composite numbers are 16 and 27.

To sum up:

  • Prime numbers: 13 and 41
  • Composite numbers: 16 and 27.