die Primzahl
prime number
A natural number greater than 1 that can be divided evenly only by 1 and itself.
EXAMPLE
Siebzehn ist eine Primzahl.
Seventeen is a prime number.
die Primzahl
prime number
die Primzahl, die Primzahlen
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Primzahl, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Primzahlen |
| genitive | der Primzahl |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Primzahl | die Primzahlen |
| accusative | die Primzahl | die Primzahlen |
| dative | der Primzahl | den Primzahlen |
| genitive | der Primzahl | der Primzahlen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Common mistake
The number 1 is not a prime number, even though it can be divided evenly only by 1 and itself. The smallest prime number is 2.
EXAMPLE
Die 1 ist keine Primzahl, aber die 2 ist eine Primzahl.
1 is not a prime number, but 2 is a prime number.
Typical collocations
The verbs 'prüfen' (to check), 'bestimmen' (to determine), and 'finden' (to find) are often used with 'Primzahl' (prime number). The expression 'eine Primzahl sein' (to be a prime number) also occurs very frequently in mathematical exercises.
EXAMPLE
Das Programm prüft, ob 97 eine Primzahl ist.
The program checks whether 97 is a prime number.
Mathematical terminology
'Primzahl' (prime number) belongs mainly to mathematical terminology and often appears in exercises about divisibility, prime factors, or factorization.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Primfaktorzerlegung wird geprüft, ob jeder Faktor eine Primzahl ist.
In prime factorization, it is checked whether each factor is a prime number.
In real life
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