Exploring Factors: Understanding and Finding Factors of Numbers

Factors

Factors are numbers that can be multiplied together to give a certain number

Factors are numbers that can be multiplied together to give a certain number. In other words, factors are the numbers that divide evenly into another number without leaving a remainder. For example, the factors of 6 are 1, 2, 3, and 6 because they can be multiplied together to give 6: 1 x 6 = 6 and 2 x 3 = 6.

To find the factors of a given number, you can start by dividing the number by 1 and the number itself. Then, you can continue dividing the number by other numbers, starting from 2 and going up to the square root of the number. This is because factors come in pairs, and one factor is always smaller than or equal to the square root of the number, while the other factor is larger.

For example, let’s find the factors of 24:

Divide 24 by 1: 24 ÷ 1 = 24
Divide 24 by 2: 24 ÷ 2 = 12
Divide 24 by 3: 24 ÷ 3 = 8
Divide 24 by 4: 24 ÷ 4 = 6
Divide 24 by 5: 24 ÷ 5 = 4.8 (not a whole number)
Divide 24 by 6: 24 ÷ 6 = 4

So, the factors of 24 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24.

It’s important to note that every number has at least two factors: 1 and the number itself. Additionally, prime numbers are numbers that only have two factors (1 and the number itself), while composite numbers have more than two factors.

More Answers: