In math, a factor is a number or expression which, when multiplied by another number or expression, yields a specific number or expression. The process of finding the factors of a number or expression is called factoring.

For example, 1 is a factor of 5 because it can be multiplied by 5 to give the desired number 5. 5 is also a factor of 5 because it can be multiplied by 1 to give the number 5. So, two factors of 5 are 1 and 5. There can be other factors of 5 as well, such as 2.5 and 2 because multiplying 2.5 by 2 gives the number 5. From this example, it’s easy to see that a number can have many factors.

As another example, 3 is a factor of 6 because it can be multiplied by 2 to give the desired number 6. 2 is also a factor of 6 because it can be multiplied by 3 to give the desired number 6. In addition, 1 and 6 are also factors of 6 because they can be multiplied by 6 and 1, respectively, to give the desired number 6. So, four factors of 6 are 1, 2, 3, and 6. But 1.5 and 4 are also factors of 6 since 1.5 multiplied by 4 equals 6.

Expressions can also have factors. For example, the expression can be obtained by multiplying so that 2 and are factors of . By using appropriate methods for factoring polynomials, we can also show that other factors of include , , , , , and . Each of these factors when multiplied by one or more of the other factors yields the original expression .

Factoring numbers and expressions into their individual factors is a particularly useful technique for solving many types of math problems.

   Close   

or click the blue title bar at the top of the page