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The number 1 is a unit - "unity" - it is neither prime nor composite.

It is a matter of definition. It looks as if 1should be a prime because 1 is only divisible by 1 and itself, but a prime is defined to be a number with exactly two factors - 1 and itself - but 1 has only one factor.

In addition, stated positively then, the number 1 is the first, non-zero, natural number.

Number one has a unique role as the identity element of multiplication. You might call it that.

At one time, 1 was viewed as a Prime number, but this can cause problems. For more information, see the Related Question on why 1 is not prime.

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13y ago

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