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Is 66 a prime number?

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

The answer

No. 66 is not a prime number: 2 × 33 = 66.

How to see that 66 is not prime

66 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 66.

66 has 8 factors (1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 22, 33 and 66), which make 4 factor pairs.

Split 66 into prime factors

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

  1. 66 = 2 × 33
  2. 66 = 2 × 3 × 11

66 in the times tables

66 turns up in 2 different times tables, the 6 and 11: 6 × 11 and 11 × 6.

Quick checks that catch 66

  • The last digit, 6, is even, so 2 goes in.
  • The digits add up to 12, which is in the 3 times table, so 3 goes in.
  • It is even and passes the check for 3 as well, so 6 goes in.
  • Its two digits match, and every two-digit number like that is in the 11 times table.

66 at a glance

In words
sixty-six
In Roman numerals
LXVI
Odd or even
Even: it ends in 6
Triangular number
1 + 2 + … + 11 = 66, a triangle of counters with 11 on the bottom row
Its factors add up to
144, or 78 without 66 itself, which makes 66 an abundant number

The numbers either side of 66

  • 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
  • 67 is prime: 2, 3, 5 and 7 do not go into it, and 11 × 11 is already past 67. Check 67 in full

Related pages

More numbers

Questions parents ask

Which prime numbers are either side of 66?

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

What is 66 squared?

66 × 66 = 4356.

What is the smallest number with as many factors as 66?

24. It has 8 factors, the same as 66.

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.