Is 96 a prime number?
96 is not a prime number. Here is a way to check 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 repeated primes written as powers, that is 2⁵ × 3. A small raised number tells you how many times to use that factor: for example, 2³ means 2 × 2 × 2.
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
Optional extra number facts:
- 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. 96 is abundant: Abundant means this sum is greater than the 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.
Continue your number practice
Explore the diagnostic for another set of practice questions.