Factoring is traditionally considered an “f-word” for students of math. But it sometimes has its good sides (which I’ll show over the next couple of days).
In the meantime, I’ll show the two ways (that I know) to factor numbers.
This method’s called a factor tree:
You don’t have to put the primes in order for it to be “right.” But it helps for later things.
Here’s another tree:
Here’s another way to factor using an upside division bar-type thing:
Remember, we don’t factor for the sake of factoring. This is only a tool to use when we do other stuff. You’ll see some of this in tomorrow’s post. Here’s one last example:
The way you factor is personal preference. Pick the one you like, or flip-flop. There’re no rules!
Share your preference (or a different way) in the comments!
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