Question

The natural number 1 is ______.

Options

• a prime number.

• a composite number.

• prime as well as composite.

• neither prime nor composite.

Answer 1

The natural number 1 is neither prime nor composite.

Explanation:

A prime number has exactly two distinct positive divisors (1 and itself), while a composite number has more than two and can be written as a product of primes (Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic). The number 1 has only one positive divisor (1), so it is neither prime nor composite.