Is 32 a prime number?
32 is not a prime number. Here is a way to check it.
The answer
No. 32 is not a prime number: 2 × 16 = 32.
How to see that 32 is not prime
32 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 32.
32 has 6 factors (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32), which make 3 factor pairs.
Split 32 into prime factors
Split off the smallest prime each time, and keep going until every part is prime:
- 32 = 2 × 16
- 32 = 2 × 2 × 8
- 32 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 4
- 32 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2
With repeated primes written as powers, that is 2⁵. A small raised number tells you how many times to use that factor: for example, 2³ means 2 × 2 × 2.
32 in the times tables
32 turns up in 2 different times tables, the 4 and 8: 4 × 8 and 8 × 4.
Quick checks that catch 32
- The last digit, 2, is even, so 2 goes in.
- Half of it is 16, which is still even, so 4 goes in.
32 at a glance
Optional extra number facts:
- In words
- thirty-two
- In Roman numerals
- XXXII
- Odd or even
- Even: it ends in 2
- Its factors add up to
- 63, or 31 without 32 itself. 32 is deficient: Deficient means this sum is less than the number.
The numbers either side of 32
- 31 is prime: 2, 3 and 5 do not go into it, and 7 × 7 is already past 31. Check 31 in full
- 33 is not prime. Its digits add up to 3 + 3 = 6, which is a multiple of 3. That means 33 is a multiple of 3 too, so 3 is a factor. Check 33 in full
Turn the digits round
32 backwards is 23. 23 is prime: 2 and 3 do not go into it, and 5 × 5 is already past 23. Check 23 in full
Related pages
More numbers
Questions parents ask
Which prime numbers are either side of 32?
31 below it and 37 above it, a gap of 6.
What is 32 squared?
32 × 32 = 1024.
What is the smallest number with as many factors as 32?
12. It has 6 factors, the same as 32.
Continue your number practice
Explore the diagnostic for another set of practice questions.