How do you factor a number into its prime factors

To do this, you repeatedly divide the number by the smallest possible prime number until the result is 1.

For example, let's factor 12:

• Divide 12 by 2: $12 \div 2 = 6$
• Divide 6 by 2: $6 \div 2 = 3$
• Divide 3 by 3: $3 \div 3 = 1$

So, the prime factors of 12 are 2, 2, and 3, which means $12 = 2 \times 2 \times 3 = 2^2 \times 3$.