What is the prime factorization of 84?

Question

2 times 3 times 7
2 squared times 3 times 7
2 Superscript 5 Baseline times 3
2 squared times 21

Answer 1

To find the prime factorization of 84, we can start by dividing it by the smallest prime numbers and continue the process.

1. 84 is even, so we divide by 2:
   \( 84 \div 2 = 42 \)
2. 42 is also even, so we divide by 2 again:
   \( 42 \div 2 = 21 \)
3. 21 is divisible by 3:
   \( 21 \div 3 = 7 \)
4. 7 is a prime number.

Now, we can write the prime factorization of 84 as:

• \( 2^2 \times 3 \times 7 \)

So, the correct option is: 2 squared times 3 times 7.