Prime Factorisation Prime factorisation is a way of writing a number as a product of its smallest possible factors. For example, the number 12 is prime facto...
Prime factorisation is a way of writing a number as a product of its smallest possible factors. For example, the number 12 is prime factorised as 12 = 2 * 2 * 3.
Key points about prime factorisation:
A number is prime if it is only divisible by itself and 1.
A factor of a number is any number that divides the original number evenly.
The prime factors of a number are all the different positive factors that it is divisible by.
A number can have more than two prime factors.
The factors of a number are the different combinations of the two smallest positive factors that divide the original number.
Example:
Let's factorise the number 15 into its prime factors:
15 = 1 * 3 * 5
Here are some more examples of prime factorisation:
30 = 2 * 2 * 3
60 = 2 * 2 * 3 * 3
90 = 2 * 3 * 3 * 5
Benefits of learning prime factorisation:
It helps us to understand how numbers are divisible.
It allows us to write numbers in a more compact and efficient form.
It is a useful skill for many mathematical problems