Even, Odd, Prime and Composite Numbers

Natural numbers can be classified into various groups of numbers. In your primary education, you
learnt numbers such as even, odd, prime and composite.

ACTIVITY
Identify which group of numbers each number given in the below belongs to by ticking suitably in the
table below.

NUMBER EVEN ODD PRIME COMPOSITE

1
2
3
39
13
10
100
67
16
77
9
255
640

Question 1
Are there numbers that belong to more than one group? If yes, identify them.
Question 2
How do you identify that a number is:
a) odd?
b) even?
c) prime?
d) composite?
 Prime Factors of any Number
In your primary education you studied multiples and factors of numbers. When two numbers are
multiplied together, the product is called multiple. The two numbers multiplied together are called
factors of the multiple.
Note: A multiple has two or more factors.
For example: The factors of 12 can be obtained by (1 × 12), (2 × 6 ) , and ( 3 × 4 );
hence, the factors of 12 are {1,2,3,4,6,12}
3x1=3 3 x 5 = 15
3x2=6 3 x 6 = 18
3x3=9 3 x 7 = 21 and so on and so forth.
3 x 4 = 12
Therefore, the multiples of 3 are {3,6,9,12,15,18, 21, ….}

Exercise
(a) Find the factors of the following:
1. 42 6. 1000
2. 56 7. 625
3. 36 8. 900
4. 108 9. 37
5. 234 10. 23
Question 1
What do you observe about the factors of 37 and 23?
Question 2
Give a mathematical comment about the numbers 37 and 23.
(b) Find the first five multiples of the following:
(I). 5 (X). 10
(II). 6 (XI). 23
(III). 2 (XII). 57
(IV). 9 (XIII). 3
(V). 11 (XIV). 16
(VI). 14 (XV). 8
(VII). 21 (XVI). 7
(VIII). 33 (XVII). 25
(IX). 72 (XVIII). 102
Note: A factor of a number which is a prime number is called its prime
factor.
For example, the factors of 12 are {1,2,3,4,6,12}. The prime factors of 12 are 2 and 3 and therefore 12
can be expressed in terms of its prime factors. i.e.;
We divide 12 by prime factors until it becomes 1.
Prime factor Number
2 12
2 6
3 3
1
This approach of determining prime factors is called prime factorisation.
This means that 12 = 2x 2 x 3. This can be written in power notation as 22 x 3 (a product of prime
factors).
The factors of 36 are {1,2,3,4,6,9,12,36}. 2 and 3 are prime factors of 36.
Question
Express 36 as a product of its prime factors.

ACTIVITY
Express each of the following numbers as a product of its prime factors.
a) 44 h) 1000
b) 54 i) 120
c) 76 j) 64
d) 200 k) 256
e) 960 l) 225
f) 77 m) 729
g) 86 n) 1326

END
Hint: Next discussion: Common Factors and HCF
Multiples with LCM

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