Final answer:
To find factors of a number starting with one, begin with the number 1 and incrementally test each subsequent integer as a potential divisor until reaching a point where the divisor squared is greater than the number being factored, ensuring all factors are found without repetition.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the factors of a number always starting with the number one and working up, you can follow these steps:
- Begin with the number 1, as every number is divisible by 1. This is the starting point of your factor list.
- Incrementally increase the number you are dividing by. After 1, try 2, then 3, and so on.
- Continue this process until you reach a number that, when squared, is greater than the number you are factoring. At that point, you've found all possible unique factors.
- As you find a divisor that evenly divides the number, write down both the divisor and the quotient. These are factor pairs.
As an example, to find the factors of 24, start with 1 (24 × 1), then check if 2 is a factor (and it is, since 24 × 2 = 12), and continue this process until you reach numbers that do not divide evenly into 24, or until the divisors would start to repeat the factor pairs you've already listed.