57 is a composite number. A prime number is defined as a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. In contrast, a composite number has at least one additional divisor apart from 1 and itself.
To determine whether 57 is prime or composite, we can check for its divisibility by smaller prime numbers. When we divide 57 by 3, we find that:
57 ÷ 3 = 19
This shows that 3 is a divisor of 57, meaning that 57 can be divided evenly into 3 and 19. Since 57 has divisors other than 1 and itself, we conclude that it is indeed a composite number.