Is 60 a prime number?
60 is not a prime number. Here is the quickest way to see it.
The answer
No. 60 is not a prime number: 2 × 30 = 60.
How to see that 60 is not prime
60 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 60.
60 has 12 factors (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30 and 60), which make 6 factor pairs.
Split 60 into prime factors
Split off the smallest prime each time, and keep going until every part is prime:
- 60 = 2 × 30
- 60 = 2 × 2 × 15
- 60 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 5
With the repeated primes written as powers, that is 2² × 3 × 5.
60 in the times tables
60 turns up in 4 different times tables, the 5, 6, 10 and 12: 5 × 12, 6 × 10, 10 × 6 and 12 × 5.
Quick checks that catch 60
- The last digit, 0, is even, so 2 goes in.
- The digits add up to 6, which is in the 3 times table, so 3 goes in.
- Half of it is 30, which is still even, so 4 goes in.
- It ends in 0, so 5 goes in.
- It is even and passes the check for 3 as well, so 6 goes in.
- It ends in 0, so 10 goes in.
60 at a glance
- In words
- sixty
- In Roman numerals
- LX
- Odd or even
- Even: it ends in 0
- Multiple of 10
- 6 tens
- Its factors add up to
- 168, or 108 without 60 itself, which makes 60 an abundant number
The numbers either side of 60
- 59 is prime: 2, 3, 5 and 7 do not go into it, and 11 × 11 is already past 59. Check 59 in full
- 61 is prime: 2, 3, 5 and 7 do not go into it, and 11 × 11 is already past 61. Check 61 in full
Related pages
More numbers
Questions parents ask
Which prime numbers are either side of 60?
59 below it and 61 above it, a gap of 2.
What is 60 squared?
60 × 60 = 3600.
What is the smallest number with as many factors as 60?
60 itself. No smaller number has 12 factors.
Number facts are the base of 11+ maths
Factors, multiples, primes and square numbers come up all over 11+ maths, from simplifying fractions to ratio. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.