Final answer:
A list of two or more consecutive composite numbers is known as a composite sequence. These are numbers greater than 1 that are not prime and have more than two distinct positive divisors. Examples include 14, 15, and 16, as these numbers can be divided by other numbers besides 1 and themselves.
Step-by-step explanation:
A list of two or more consecutive composite numbers is known as a composite sequence. A composite number is a positive integer greater than 1 that is not prime; it has more than two distinct positive divisors. This means that each of the numbers can be divided by a number other than 1 and itself.
For example, the numbers 14, 15, and 16 are a sequence of consecutive composite numbers as each number has divisors other than 1 and itself (14 can be divided by 2 and 7, 15 by 3 and 5, and 16 by 2 and 8). Remember, a prime number has exactly two distinct divisors, 1 and the number itself, and cannot be part of a composite sequence.
In finding or recognizing these sequences, it's useful to consider that they often occur just before or after a prime number or between sets of prime numbers. For instance, immediately after the prime number 13, we find the composite sequence 14, 15, and 16 before arriving at the next prime number, 17.