how do you find prime factorization?
3 answers
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how does that help me find prime factorization?
You reduce your number down to be only factors that are prime.
Example:
36 factors into 3 x 12. 3 is prime, but 12 is not, so you need to factor 12. 12 can break down into 3 x 4. 3 is prime, 4 isn't. 4 breaks down into 2 x 2. 2 is prime.
The prime factorization for 36 would be 2x2x3x3 or 2^2 x 3^2.
It would be easier to show as a factor tree, but I'm not sure I could type one out :)
Example:
36 factors into 3 x 12. 3 is prime, but 12 is not, so you need to factor 12. 12 can break down into 3 x 4. 3 is prime, 4 isn't. 4 breaks down into 2 x 2. 2 is prime.
The prime factorization for 36 would be 2x2x3x3 or 2^2 x 3^2.
It would be easier to show as a factor tree, but I'm not sure I could type one out :)
1 answer