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Prime Factoriza

Prime factorization is the process of breaking down a positive integer into its prime factors, which are the building blocks of numbers. The method involves systematically dividing the number by the smallest prime until reaching a prime number, often visualized through a factor tree. Examples provided include the prime factorizations of 84, 24, and 75, demonstrating the process and resulting factors.

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19 views2 pages

Prime Factoriza

Prime factorization is the process of breaking down a positive integer into its prime factors, which are the building blocks of numbers. The method involves systematically dividing the number by the smallest prime until reaching a prime number, often visualized through a factor tree. Examples provided include the prime factorizations of 84, 24, and 75, demonstrating the process and resulting factors.

Uploaded by

aikon4065
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Prime Factorization: Breaking Down Numbers into Their Building Blocks

Introduction
Prime factorization is a fundamental concept in number theory that involves decomposing a
positive integer into its prime factors. A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that
has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. Prime factorization allows us to understand the
building blocks of numbers and is essential for various mathematical operations and problem-
solving techniques.

The Process of Prime Factorization


To perform prime factorization, we systematically divide the given number by the smallest prime
number that divides it evenly. We continue this process with the quotient until we reach a prime
number. The prime numbers used in this division process are the prime factors of the original
number.

A common method to visualize prime factorization is through a factor tree:


Examples:
1. Prime Factorization of 84
84
/ \
2 42
/ \
2 21
/ \
3 7

1. We can start by dividing 84 by 2:


84 ÷ 2 = 42
2.We can divide 42 by 2 again:
42 ÷ 2 = 21
3.Now, we can divide 21 by 3:
21 ÷ 3 = 7
4.Since 7 is a prime number, we're finished.
5.Therefore, the prime factorization of 84 is 2 × 2 × 3 × 7 or is 2² × 3 × 7.
2. prime factorization of 24.

24
/ \
2 12
/ \
2 6
/ \
2 3
As you can see, the branches of the tree lead to the prime factors: 2 and 3
1.We can start by dividing 24 by the smallest prime number, 2:
24 ÷ 2 = 12
2 .Now, we can divide 12 by 2 again:
12 ÷ 2 = 6
3.We can continue this process:
6÷2=3
4.Since 3 is a prime number, we've reached the end of our factorization.
5.Therefore, the prime factorization of 24 is 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 or 2³ × 3.

3.Prime of factorization of 75
75
/ \
3 25
/ \
5 5
1.We can start by dividing 75 by the smallest prime number greater than 1, which is 3:
75 ÷ 3 = 25
2.Now, we can divide 25 by the next prime number, 5:
25 ÷ 5 = 5
4.Since 5 is a prime number, we've reached the end of our factorization.
5. Therefore, the prime factorization of 75 is 3 × 5 × 5 or s 3 × 5².

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