48 is a composite number. A composite number is defined as a positive integer that has at least one positive divisor other than one or itself. In the case of 48, it can be divided evenly by several numbers, including 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 48.
To further illustrate this, we can look at the prime factorization of 48:
48 can be broken down into the prime factors 2 and 3:
48 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3, or
48 = 24 × 31.
Since 48 has more divisors than just 1 and itself, it confirms that it is indeed a composite number.