Final answer:
A Social Security number like 123-45-6789 is divided into the Area Number (the first three digits), the Group Number (the middle two digits), and the Serial Number (the last four digits).
Step-by-step explanation:
A Social Security number (SSN) such as 123-45-6789 is divided into three groups. The first set of three digits is known as the Area Number, which was originally assigned geographically, but as of 2011, it is assigned randomly.
The second group of two digits is the Group Number, which is used to break the numbers within the Area Number into smaller blocks. Lastly, the final set of four digits is the Serial Number, which is assigned sequentially within the group number from 0001 to 9999. These three groups together uniquely identify each individual’s Social Security record.