What is the lowest prime number?

A prime number is a positive whole number with exactly two factors, ie 1 and itself. So, 1 can't be a prime number because it has only one factor (1 is itself), 0 can't be prime since it has no factors at all, 2 has two factors (1 and 2) so it is prime, and is in fact the smallest prime. It is frequently overlooked however, since all the other primes are odd, and people associate primes with odd numbers.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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49 Comments

teacherchicky

It's also the ONLY even prime number!

Judy Moran

A prime number must have exactly two factors (1 and itself). Therefore, the number 2 is the lowest prime number as its only common divisors are 1 and 2. The number 1 only has 1 common divisor so it cannot be a prime number.

Glynis Rix

Oh no ! Finger touched the screen by mistake!

Karin Johansson

Andy Wright, maybe read other sources! You can't trust Wikipedia!

Plums

At last some of my school maths is of some use!!

billwatsn

Got me, good explanation.

Dennis Oehler

proudpP..., no, it is not.

Joseph A. Robitaille

It had to be 2.

Mike Costello

Good question

Rob Farr

Maths was never my strongest subject .. thanks for the question though.

Ian Swindale

I am totally hopeless at anything to do with maths - getting through exams at school was a real challenge and I had to have special coaching to do so. I don't understand what on earth the answer is saying as to me it could have been written in Swahili