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Is 64 a prime number?

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

The answer

No. 64 is not a prime number: 2 × 32 = 64.

How to see that 64 is not prime

64 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 64.

64 has 7 factors (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64), which make 4 factor pairs.

Split 64 into prime factors

Split off the smallest prime each time, and keep going until every part is prime:

  1. 64 = 2 × 32
  2. 64 = 2 × 2 × 16
  3. 64 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 8
  4. 64 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 4
  5. 64 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2

With the repeated primes written as powers, that is 2⁶.

64 in the times tables

Just one of the 2 to 12 times tables has 64 in it: 8 × 8 = 64.

Quick checks that catch 64

  • The last digit, 4, is even, so 2 goes in.
  • Half of it is 32, which is still even, so 4 goes in.

64 at a glance

In words
sixty-four
In Roman numerals
LXIV
Odd or even
Even: it ends in 4
Square number
8 × 8 = 64
Cube number
4 × 4 × 4 = 64
Its factors add up to
127, or 63 without 64 itself, which makes 64 a deficient number

The numbers either side of 64

  • 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
  • 65 is not prime. 65 ends in 5, and every number ending in 5 or 0 is in the 5 times table, so 5 is a factor. Check 65 in full

Turn the digits round

64 backwards is 46. 46 is not prime. 46 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 46. Check 46 in full

Related pages

More numbers

Questions parents ask

Which prime numbers are either side of 64?

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

What is 64 squared?

64 × 64 = 4096.

What is the smallest number with as many factors as 64?

64 itself. No smaller number has 7 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.