# If 0 and 1 aren't prime or composite, what are they?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 4, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229 "2001-07-04T18:08:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/1 "2001-07-04T18:08:42Z")

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I remember reading somewhere that 0 and 1 are both neither prime nor composite. So what are they?

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/2 "2001-07-04T18:50:38Z")

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Cecil wrote about that in his is-2-even-or-not column:  
[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzeroeven.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzeroeven.html)

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/3 "2001-07-04T18:51:53Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Schnitte \*  
> \*\*Cecil wrote about that in his is-2-even-or-not column:  
> [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzeroeven.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzeroeven.html) \*\*

It’s of course whether 0 is odd or even, not two. Sorry.

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/4 "2001-07-04T18:59:05Z")

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They’re just bits.

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**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/5 "2001-07-04T19:08:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Schnitte \*  
> \*\*
> 
> > [@](#):
> >
> > \*Originally posted by Schnitte \*  
> > \*\*Cecil wrote about that in his is-2-even-or-not column:  
> > [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzeroeven.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzeroeven.html) \*\*
> 
> It’s of course whether 0 is odd or even, not two. Sorry. \*\*

It also wasn’t one of Cecil’s columns, but was written by SDStaff Dex. Sorry, but I couldn’t resist being a stickler.😃

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**Author:** ![23skidoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f04885/32.png) [@23skidoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/23skidoo)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/6 "2001-07-04T23:28:35Z")

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“Ask Dr. Math” is really cool. They get math professors to answer questions that math students (and probably most of the general population) have about math. Here’s what they have to say about what to call 1 and what to call 0:

[http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/problems/christy10.6.97.html](http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/problems/christy10.6.97.html)

23skidoo

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-0-and-1-arent-prime-or-composite-what-are-they/71229/7 "2001-07-05T04:39:03Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by 23skidoo \*  
> \*\*“Ask Dr. Math” is really cool. They get math professors to answer questions that math students (and probably most of the general population) have about math. Here’s what they have to say about what to call 1 and what to call 0:
> 
> [http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/problems/christy10.6.97.html](http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/problems/christy10.6.97.html)
> 
> 23skidoo \*\*

That’s what I was looking for. Thanks.