Perfect number

High school (ages 12+)
Mathematics & Numbers

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/perfect-number

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is a perfect number?A perfect number is a positive whole number that equals the sum of all its smaller positive divisors. For example, 6 is perfect because 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. 28 is another perfect number because 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14 = 28.
2. Why are 6 and 28 special?They are the first two perfect numbers that the ancient Greeks discovered. Their divisors add up exactly to the number itself, showing a perfect balance. This made them very interesting to early mathematicians.

Proper Positive Divisor: A positive integer that divides a given integer exactly, excluding the integer itself.
Sum-of-Divisors Function (σ₁): A function that calculates the sum of all positive divisors of an integer.
Mersenne Prime: A prime number of the form 2^p - 1, where p itself must be a prime number.
Cryptography: The practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversaries.