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Is 62 a prime number?

62 is not a prime number. Here is the quickest way to see it.

The answer

No. 62 is not a prime number: 2 × 31 = 62.

How to see that 62 is not prime

62 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 62.

62 has four factors: 1 and 62, plus one pair in between, 2 and 31.

Split 62 into prime factors

62 splits straight into two primes, 2 × 31, so its factor tree has only one branch.

62 in the times tables

No fact from the 2 to 12 times tables, up to × 12, makes 62. Its smallest pair, 2 × 31, needs the 31 times table, which goes past 12.

Quick checks that catch 62

  • The last digit, 2, is even, so 2 goes in.

62 at a glance

In words
sixty-two
In Roman numerals
LXII
Odd or even
Even: it ends in 2
Its factors add up to
96, or 34 without 62 itself, which makes 62 a deficient number

The numbers either side of 62

  • 61 is prime: 2, 3, 5 and 7 do not go into it, and 11 × 11 is already past 61. Check 61 in full
  • 63 is not prime. Its digits add up to 6 + 3 = 9, which is a multiple of 3. That means 63 is a multiple of 3 too, so 3 is a factor. Check 63 in full

Turn the digits round

62 backwards is 26. 26 is not prime. 26 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 26. Check 26 in full

Related pages

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Questions parents ask

Which prime numbers are either side of 62?

61 below it and 67 above it, a gap of 6.

What is 62 squared?

62 × 62 = 3844.

What is the smallest number with as many factors as 62?

6. It has 4 factors, the same as 62.

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.