A prime number is one which can only be divided by 1 or itself. Every other whole number can be broken down into factors which are prime numbers. In some ways these Prime Numbers are the basic building blocks of all natural numbers. This idea can be very useful in Cryptographic techniques for computer and software security. Example: 12 = 2 × 2 × 3
So the prime factors of 12 are 3 and 7. |