Is 2 a Prime Number? Facts about Number 2

Muskan Shafi logo

Muskan Shafi

Education Content Expert

Is 2 a Prime Number? The question often arises and is confusing due to the unique nature of the number 2. 2 is a prime number. Prime Numbers are defined as natural numbers that are divisible by only 1 and the number itself. Thus, a number that has exactly two factors is called a prime number. The number 2 has exactly two factors 1 and itself which makes number 2 a prime number. 2 is also a unique prime number as it is the only even prime number. 

Prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, etc. Also, the number 1 is neither a prime nor a composite number. Thus, it can be said that all prime numbers are greater than 1. All numbers except 1 are classified as prime and composite numbers. Composite numbers are those numbers that have more than two factors apart from 1 and the number itself. 

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Maths Playing With Numbers

Key Terms: Prime Number, Composite Number, Even Number, Factors, Even Prime Number, Number System, Whole Number


What is a Number?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

A number is an arithmetical value used to measure, label and count. These countable values make up the number system. Numbers can be divided into different categories or groups like Prime numbers, Composite numbers, Even and Odd numbers, Whole numbers, etc. Primary examples of numbers are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6………….and so on. 

  • The counting numbers along with zero are called whole numbers
  • Natural numbers are numbers starting from 1 to infinity.
  • Even numbers are those numbers that are completely divisible by 2 such as 4, 6, 8, 12, etc.
  • Odd numbers are those numbers that are not completely divisible by 2 and leave a remainder such as 7, 9, 11, 15, etc.
  • Prime numbers are those numbers that have only 2 factors which are 1 and the number itself.
  • Composite numbers are defined as numbers with more than 2 factors.

Read More:


Is 2 a Prime Number?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Yes, 2 is a special case of a prime number. 2 is definitely a Prime number as it has only two factors 1 and itself. The factors of 2 are 1 and 2 only. According to the definition of a prime number, a number that has only two factors or a number that is divisible by 1 and itself is called a prime number. 

Is 2 a Prime Number?

Is 2 a Prime Number?


Is 2 a Composite Number?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

No, 2 is not a composite number. 

  • Composite numbers are those numbers that have more than 2 factors. 
  • 2 has only two factors, i.e. 1 and 2. 
  • Thus, 2 is not a composite number because 2 doesn’t have more than 2 factors.

Is 2 the only Even Prime Number?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Yes, 2 is the only even prime number. Even numbers are numbers that are divisible by 2. Two being divisible by itself becomes even in nature and as two is also prime in nature makes two a unique case of even prime numbers.

To verify the statement let’s examine other prime numbers. 

  • For example, let’s take number 3, number 3 is prime in nature as it has only two factors but 3 is not divisible by 2 which makes it an odd number.
  • For another example let’s take 19, number 19 is a prime number as it has only two factors but 19 is not completely divisible by 2 which makes it an odd number.

Hence number 2 becomes a unique case of being the only even prime number.

Problem Statements about 2

Here are a few important problems about 2:

Problem Solution
Is 2 a Prime Number? Yes
Is 2 a Composite Number? No
What are the multiples of 2? 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20…
Is 2 an Even Number? Yes
Is 2 an Odd Number? No
What is the Cube Root of 2? 1.259921
What is the Square Root of 2? 1.414214
Is 2 a Perfect Cube? No
Is 2 a Perfect Square? No

What Kind of Number is 2?

The number 2 falls under the following categories of number:

  • Natural number
  • Whole number
  • Positive integer
  • Prime number
  • Even number
  • Rational number

Fun Facts about 2

Given below are a few fun facts about the number 2

  • 2 is the only even prime number in the number system.
  • 2 is the smallest prime number among all numbers.
  • 2 is the smallest even number in the number system.

What is a Prime Number?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Prime numbers are positive integers that have only two factors such numbers are called prime numbers. 

  • Prime numbers have only two factors those are 1 and itself.
  • As prime numbers have 1 as one of their factors which means all prime numbers are positive that is greater than zero.
  • 1 is neither a prime number nor a composite number.
  • Some examples of Prime Numbers include 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19……etc.

Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

Read More:

List of Prime Numbers from 1 to 100

The prime numbers from 1 to 100 are as follows: 

Prime Numbers between 1 and 10

2, 3, 5, 7

Prime Numbers between 10 and 20

11, 13, 17, 19

Prime Numbers between 20 and 30

23, 29

Prime Numbers between 30 and 40

31, 37

Prime Numbers between 40 and 50

41, 43, 47

Prime Numbers between 50 and 60

53, 59

Prime Numbers between 60 and 70

61, 67

Prime Numbers between 70 and 80

71, 73, 79

Prime Numbers between 80 and 90

83, 89

Prime Numbers between 90 and 100

97


What is a Composite Number?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Composite numbers are positive integers that have more than two factors. 

  • All numbers except prime numbers are composite in nature. 
  • Composite numbers are the exact opposite of prime numbers. 
  • Generally, it is seen that even numbers are Composite in nature but 2 being an even number is prime in nature as it has only two factors 1 and itself.

Things to Remember

  • 2 is the only even prime number present in the number system.
  • Prime numbers are divisible by only 1 and itself which means they have only two factors.
  • 2 is a unique number that has both an even as well as prime nature.
  • 2 is the smallest prime number.
  • Categories in which number 2 falls are Prime Number, Even Number, Natural Number, Positive Number, and Rational Number.
  • 2 is also the smallest even number.

Sample Questions

Ques. What properties of number two make it a unique number? (1 Mark)

Ans. 2 is the only even prime number. It is even as it is divisible by 2 and it is prime as it is divisible by only 1 and itself. These properties make it unique in nature.

Ques. Are there any consecutive prime numbers? (1 Mark)

Ans. Yes, 2 and 3 are the only consecutive prime numbers.

Ques. Find all the Prime numbers between 1-100. (2 Marks)

Ans. Between 1-100, there are 25 numbers that have only two factors. They are as follows:

1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 67, 71, 73, 79,83, 89, 97.

Ques. Find all the Prime numbers between 1-200. (2 Marks)

Ans. Between 1-200, there are 46 numbers that have only two factors. They are as follows:

1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97, 101, 103, 107, 109, 113, 127, 131, 137, 139, 149, 151, 157, 163, 167, 173, 179, 181, 191, 193, 197, 199.

Ques. Select Prime numbers between 5, 27, 39, 101, and 109. (2 Marks)

Ans. In the above-given numbers:

5 has two factors, 27 has more than two factors, 39 has more than two factors, 101 has only two factors, and 109 has only two factors so numbers 5, 101, and 107 are the prime numbers.

Ques. What is the smallest Prime number? (1 Mark)

Ans. 2 is the smallest prime number.

,Ques. What are the first ten Prime numbers? (1 Mark)

Ans. The first ten Prime numbers are 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29.

Ques. What is the sum of the first ten prime numbers? (2 Marks)

Ans. The first ten Prime numbers are 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29.

Sum of 1+3+5+7+11+13+17+19+23+29=128.

Ques. What is the sum of the first 7 prime numbers divided by 2? (2 Marks)

Ans. The first seven primes are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, and 17. 2 is the smallest prime number, and also the only even prime. Adding these seven prime numbers gives us a sum of 58, and 58/2 = 29.

<Ques. Which number is the Prime number in the following list 89, 196, 180, 121? (2 Marks)

Ans. For being a prime number a number must have only two factors

  • 89- 1,89
  • 196- 1,2,4,7,14,28,49,98,196
  • 180- 1,2,3,4,5,6,9,10,12,15,18,20,30,36,45,60,90,180
  • 121- 1,11,121

Clearly only 89 has two factors that is 1 and itself so 89 is the prime number.

Check-Out: 

CBSE X Related Questions

  • 1.
    Prove that: $\frac{\tan \theta}{1 - \cot \theta} + \frac{\cot \theta}{1 - \tan \theta} = 1 + \tan \theta + \cot \theta$


      • 2.
        A bag contains 25 balls. Some of them are yellow and others are green. One ball is drawn at random. If probability of getting a green ball is $3/5$, then find the number of yellow balls.


          • 3.
            Two water taps together can fill a tank in $8\frac{8}{9}$ hours. The tap of larger diameter takes 4 hours less than the smaller one to fill the tank separately. Find the time in which each tap can separately fill the tank.


              • 4.
                A chord of a circle, of radius 14 cm, subtends an angle of $60^\circ$ at the centre. Find the area of the smaller sector and perimeter of the smaller segment.


                  • 5.
                    Assertion (A) : The system of linear equations $3x - 5y + 7 = 0$ and $-6x + 10y + 14 = 0$ is inconsistent.
                    Reason (R) : When two linear equations don't have unique solution, they always represent parallel lines.

                      • Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
                      • Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
                      • Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
                      • Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

                    • 6.
                      The dimensions of a window are $156\text{ cm} \times 216\text{ cm}$. Arjun wants to put grill on the window creating complete squares of maximum size. Determine the side length of the square and hence find the number of squares formed.

                        Comments


                        No Comments To Show