Answer:
Explanation:
Prime factorization is the process of expressing a number as the product of its prime factors. To find the prime factorization of a number, you can use the following steps:Divide the number by the smallest prime factor (2) and write the result.Divide the quotient from step 1 by the next smallest prime factor (3) and write the result.Repeat step 2 with each successive prime factor until the quotient is 1.For example, to find the prime factorization of 60:60 / 2 = 30 -> 2
30 / 2 = 15 -> 2 * 2 = 4
15 / 3 = 5 -> 4 * 3 = 12
5 / 5 = 1 -> 12 * 5 = 60The prime factorization of 60 is 2 * 2 * 3 * 5To find the greatest common factor (GCF) of two numbers, you can use the following steps:Write the prime factorization of each number.Write the GCF as the product of the prime factors that are common to both numbers, each raised to the lowest power that occurs in both factorizations.For example, to find the GCF of 24 and 40:Prime factorization of 24 = 2^3 * 3
Prime factorization of 40 = 2^3 * 5The GCF is 2^3 = 8To find the least common multiple (LCM) of two numbers, you can use the following steps:Write the prime factorization of each number.Write the LCM as the product of the prime factors of each number, each raised to the highest power that occurs in either factorization.For example, to find the LCM of 24 and 40:Prime factorization of 24 = 2^3 * 3
Prime factorization of 40 = 2^3 * 5The LCM is 2^3 * 3 * 5 = 120Alternatively, you can use the formula LCM(a, b) = (a * b) / GCF(a, b)Please note that this is a method for finding the prime factorization and GCF/LCM of small numbers. For larger numbers, it is more efficient to use a specific algorithm or software.