How do you work out factors in maths? - Answers

Factoring is performed by determining what numbers will divide evenly (without a remainder) into the given number. These numbers are in pairs. For example, the factor pairs of 72 are: 1 x 72 2 x 36 3 x 24 4 x 18 6 x 12 8 x 9 Rearranging these in ascending order, the factors of 72 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 72. The proper factors of 72 include all the above factors except 1 and 72. The prime factors of 72 are all the prime numbers in the list of factors, multiplied as many times as necessary to obtain 72 as the product: 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3.