Re: Factor Numbers
My son has to write at least two ways to break down numbers - I know he did not learn this in school but I would like to help him at home, please help me I have not done this work in over 30 years. He has to break down the numbers 56, 12, 42, 36, 24 and 60. If you can explain to me 1 problem of what they word as a break down, I would be able to do the follow and figure out the rest. Thank you!
12... 4 and 3 go together to make 12 then 4... two and two go into four... and then 3 2 and 2 are left because nothing goes into them
12
4 3
2 2
"to break down" a number is not a mathematical term
If your son's textbook actually uses that terminology I would find that disturbing.
Perhaps they mean to express the number with lowest prime prime factors
e.g.
12 = 2x2x3
36 = 2x2x3x3
etc
Of course, I'd be happy to help! Breaking down numbers into their factors is a fundamental concept in mathematics. Factors are the numbers that multiply together to give you a specific number. To break down a number, you need to find all the factors of that number.
Let's start with the number 56 as an example. To break down 56, you need to find pairs of numbers that multiply together to give you 56. We start by looking for the smallest possible factor, which is 2.
Dividing 56 by 2, we get 28. So, 2 is a factor of 56. Now we need to find the factors of 28. We continue the process until we cannot divide any further.
The factors of 56 are: 2, 2, 2, and 7.
To confirm that these are indeed factors, we can multiply them together: 2 * 2 * 2 * 7 = 56. So we have successfully broken down 56 into its factors.
Now, you can apply this process to the other numbers your son needs to break down. Remember to start with the smallest possible factor and continue until you cannot divide any further.
Here are the factors for the other numbers you mentioned:
12 = 2, 2, 3
42 = 2, 3, 7
36 = 2, 2, 3, 3
24 = 2, 2, 2, 3
60 = 2, 2, 3, 5
I hope this explanation helps you understand how to break down numbers into their factors and that you can assist your son with his math homework! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.