Which type of number can be divided evenly only by itself and one?

A number that can be divided evenly only by itself and one is classified as a prime number. A prime number is defined as having exactly two distinct positive divisors, which are one and the number itself. For instance, the number 5 can only be evenly divided by 1 and 5, making it a prime number.

In contrast, a composite number has more than two factors. For example, the number 6 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, and 6. Whole numbers include all non-negative integers (0, 1, 2, 3, ...), which encompasses both prime and composite numbers. Similarly, integers cover all whole numbers, including negative values, so they cannot be solely identified as numbers that can be divided evenly only by one and themselves. Thus, identifying prime numbers is fundamental to understanding number theory and its classification system.