The number 100 can be expressed as a product of its prime factors as follows:
- Start with the number 100.
- Divide by the smallest prime number, 2: \(100 \div 2 = 50\)
- Divide 50 by 2: \(50 \div 2 = 25\)
- Now, 25 is not divisible by 2, so we move to the next prime number, which is 3. \(25\) is not divisible by 3, so we try the next prime number, 5: \(25 \div 5 = 5\)
- Finally, \(5\) is also a prime number: \(5 \div 5 = 1\)
Putting it all together, we can express 100 as:
\[ 100 = 2^2 \times 5^2 \]
So, the prime factorization of 100 is \(2^2 \times 5^2\).