Is 96 a prime number?
96 is not a prime number. Here is the quickest way to see it.
The answer
No. 96 is not a prime number: 2 × 48 = 96.
How to see that 96 is not prime
96 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 96.
96 has 12 factors (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48 and 96), which make 6 factor pairs.
Split 96 into prime factors
Split off the smallest prime each time, and keep going until every part is prime:
- 96 = 2 × 48
- 96 = 2 × 2 × 24
- 96 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 12
- 96 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 6
- 96 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3
With the repeated primes written as powers, that is 2⁵ × 3.
96 in the times tables
96 turns up in 2 different times tables, the 8 and 12: 8 × 12 and 12 × 8.
Quick checks that catch 96
- The last digit, 6, is even, so 2 goes in.
- The digits add up to 15, which is in the 3 times table, so 3 goes in.
- Half of it is 48, which is still even, so 4 goes in.
- It is even and passes the check for 3 as well, so 6 goes in.
96 at a glance
- In words
- ninety-six
- In Roman numerals
- XCVI
- Odd or even
- Even: it ends in 6
- Its factors add up to
- 252, or 156 without 96 itself, which makes 96 an abundant number
The numbers either side of 96
- 95 is not prime. 95 ends in 5, and every number ending in 5 or 0 is in the 5 times table, so 5 is a factor. Check 95 in full
- 97 is prime: 2, 3, 5 and 7 do not go into it, and 11 × 11 is already past 97. Check 97 in full
Turn the digits round
96 backwards is 69. 69 is not prime. Its digits add up to 6 + 9 = 15, which is a multiple of 3. That means 69 is a multiple of 3 too, so 3 is a factor. Check 69 in full
Related pages
More numbers
Questions parents ask
Which prime numbers are either side of 96?
89 below it and 97 above it, a gap of 8.
What is 96 squared?
96 × 96 = 9216.
What is the smallest number with as many factors as 96?
60. It has 12 factors, the same as 96.
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.