trial division
nounUK /ˈtraɪəl dɪˈvɪʒən/
US /ˈtraɪəl dɪˈvɪʒən/
Trial division is a way to check if a number is prime by trying to divide it by smaller numbers.
The program used trial division to test whether 97 is a prime number.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A basic method in number theory for finding factors by testing each possible divisor in turn.
Trial division found the small factors of the number before more advanced methods were needed.
3. A simple computational approach that checks divisibility one candidate at a time.
For small inputs, trial division is fast enough to run instantly.
4. The process of repeatedly dividing by primes up to the square root to factor an integer.
Using trial division, she factored 91 into 7 and 13.