What is meant by prime factorization?

Prime factorization refers to the process of breaking down a composite number into a product of its prime factors. Prime numbers are the numbers greater than 1 that have no positive divisors other than 1 and themselves. By representing a number as a product of these primes, one can express it in its simplest form.

When performing prime factorization, the goal is to find the set of prime numbers that, when multiplied together, yield the original number. This is particularly important in various areas of mathematics, such as number theory, and serves practical purposes in computation and problem-solving.

For instance, the prime factorization of 60 is 2 × 2 × 3 × 5, or written using exponents, 2² × 3¹ × 5¹. Each prime factor is listed the number of times it divides the original number.

The other options do not accurately describe prime factorization. Writing a number as the sum of its factors refers to a different concept called factorization into sums, while finding the greatest common factor relates to identifying the largest factor shared by two or more numbers. Dividing a number by its inverse involves operations related to multiplicative inverses rather than the factorization of the number itself.