## Week 1 – Math 10

This week, I learned how to find prime factors using prime factorization. Prime factors can be used to find all the numbers factors (not just prime), if it is a perfect square or cube, and even its common multiples with other numbers.

You can find prime factors by following these steps (picture below), I will use the number 96 as an example.

Start by finding the lowest number that it can divide into and put it beside the number, in this case, the 2 is put beside the 96.

Under it, write the quotient of the number (in this case 48), and repeat what you just did. In this case it will divide into 2 three more times, so we will skip them and jump to when it can’t divide into 2.

Now it has become the number 3, which can’t be divided into 2 as a whole number. Plus, it is also a prime number, so it can only be divided by itself and one, so I will put 3 beside it, to turn it into 1.

After you reach 1, you stop.

Then you have all of its prime factors. You can multiply any and all of these together to find all of its factors. Because there are 5 2’s, you can simplify it by turning it into $2^5\cdot3$