A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that cannot be formed by multiplying two smaller natural numbers. In other words, a prime number has exactly two distinct positive divisors: 1 and itself. For example, the number 2 is prime because its only divisors are 1 and 2. Other examples of prime numbers include 3, 5, 7, and 11. Prime numbers play a crucial role in various fields, especially in mathematics and cryptography. They are used in algorithms for secure communication and data encryption. The study of prime numbers also leads to important concepts such as prime factorization, which involves breaking down a number into its prime components.