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What is the difference between the largest prime number less than 50 and the smallest composite number greater than 10?

35
36
37
38

1 answer

To solve the problem, we first need to identify the largest prime number less than 50 and the smallest composite number greater than 10.

  1. Largest prime number less than 50: The prime numbers less than 50 are:

    • 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47 The largest among these is 47.

  2. Smallest composite number greater than 10: The composite numbers greater than 10 begin at 12 (since 11 is prime). The smallest composite number greater than 10 is 12.

Now, let's find the difference between the largest prime number less than 50 (47) and the smallest composite number greater than 10 (12):

\[ 47 - 12 = 35 \]

Thus, the difference is 35.