To find the greatest common factor (GCF) of 26 and 4, we can determine the prime factors of each number.
First, let's find the prime factorization:
- The prime factorization of 26 is \(2 \times 13\).
- The prime factorization of 4 is \(2^2\) (or \(2 \times 2\)).
Now, identify the common factors:
The only common prime factor between 26 and 4 is \(2\).
Now, we take the lowest power of the common prime factor:
- The lowest power of \(2\) present in both factorizations is \(2^1\).
Thus, the GCF of 26 and 4 is:
\[ \text{GCF} = 2 \]