27 is a composite number. A prime number is a number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. In contrast, a composite number has more than two positive divisors.
To determine if 27 is a prime or composite number, we can check its divisors. The number 27 can be divided evenly by 1, 3, 9, and 27. Since it has more than two divisors, it is classified as a composite number.
Additionally, 27 can be expressed as 3 × 3 × 3, which shows that it is a product of prime numbers. This further confirms that 27 is a composite number.