Prime Factorization

Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

  1. Prime Numbers: Natural numbers greater than that have only and themselves as divisors.
  2. Composite Numbers: Natural numbers greater than that are not prime. In other words, composite numbers have divisors other than and themselves.
  3. The number is neither a prime number nor a composite number.

Exponents

When multiplying the same number repeatedly, we can simplify the notation using the base number and the number of times it is multiplied. For example:
These are written as , , , and so on, which are read as “2 squared,” “2 cubed,” and “2 to the fourth power,” respectively. Collectively, these are called powers of 2.
  • The number being multiplied ( in this case) is called the base.
  • The number of times it is multiplied ( , , , etc.) is called the exponent.

Prime Factorization

The prime factors of a natural number are the prime numbers that divide it. Generally, when a natural number is expressed as a product of its prime factors, the result is unique if the order of multiplication is disregarded.