Types of Composite Numbers
One way to classify composite numbers is by counting the number of prime factors. A composite number with two prime factors is a semiprime or 2-almost prime (the factors need not be distinct, hence squares of primes are included). A composite number with three distinct prime factors is a sphenic number. In some applications, it is necessary to differentiate between composite numbers with an odd number of distinct prime factors and those with an even number of distinct prime factors. For the latter
(where μ is the Möbius function and x is half the total of prime factors), while for the former
Note however that for prime numbers the function also returns -1, and that . For a number n with one or more repeated prime factors, .
If all the prime factors of a number are repeated it is called a powerful number. If none of its prime factors are repeated, it is called squarefree. (All prime numbers and 1 are squarefree.)
Another way to classify composite numbers is by counting the number of divisors. All composite numbers have at least three divisors. In the case of squares of primes, those divisors are . A number n that has more divisors than any x < n is a highly composite number (though the first two such numbers are 1 and 2).
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