Factors and Multiples

Question 1

what is a prime number

Answer 1

In mathematics, a prime number is a whole number greater than 1 that has only two factors (or divisors): 1 and itself.

Question 2

what is the hightest common factor and the lowest common factor

Answer 2

The Highest Common Factor (HCF), also known as the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD), is the largest number that divides two or more numbers exactly, while the Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) is the smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more numbers.

Question 3

what is prime factors

Answer 3

Prime factors are the prime numbers that multiply together to give a specific composite number. A prime number is a number greater than 1 that has no divisors other than 1 and itself.

To find the prime factors of a number, you break it down into prime numbers that multiply to give that number.

For example:

The prime factors of 12 are 2 and 3, because
12
=
2
×
2
×
3
12=2×2×3.

The prime factors of 18 are 2 and 3, because
18
=
2
×
3
×
3
18=2×3×3.

So, prime factors are essentially the prime numbers that make up a given number when multiplied together.