What is a prime factor?

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Multiple Choice

What is a prime factor?

Explanation:
A prime factor is a factor of a number that is itself a prime number. A factor is any number that divides the original number exactly, and a prime number is a number greater than 1 with no divisors other than 1 and itself. So a prime factor is one of the prime numbers that multiply together to give the original number. For example, the prime factors of 24 are 2 and 3, since 24 can be written as 2^3 × 3. This matches the idea of a factor that is a prime number. The other descriptions don’t fit: a prime number isn’t necessarily a factor of a given number, a factor that is a multiple isn’t how prime factors are defined, and a factor that is composite isn’t prime.

A prime factor is a factor of a number that is itself a prime number. A factor is any number that divides the original number exactly, and a prime number is a number greater than 1 with no divisors other than 1 and itself. So a prime factor is one of the prime numbers that multiply together to give the original number. For example, the prime factors of 24 are 2 and 3, since 24 can be written as 2^3 × 3. This matches the idea of a factor that is a prime number. The other descriptions don’t fit: a prime number isn’t necessarily a factor of a given number, a factor that is a multiple isn’t how prime factors are defined, and a factor that is composite isn’t prime.

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