A prime number can only be divided evenly by itself and 1.

An example is

5 = 1 × 5

A composite number is divisible by more numbers than itself and 1; it is composed of several numbers.

An example is

12 = 4 × 3 or 12 = 2 × 6

Prime Factorization is the process of determining all prime numbers that when multiplied together will give a given number. This means that some of these prime numbers may appear more than once.

An example is

24 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3