Factors and Greatest Common Factor (GCF)
Things to Know:
- Factors are the numbers being multiplied to find a product.
- A product is the answer to a multiplication problem.
- A number is divisible by its factors, which means it can be divided evenly without a remainder.
To find all of the factors of a number, you can brainstorm a list of factor pairs. You should try to go from least to greatest to avoid skipping any factors. Use your divisibility rules to help you.
You can even create a factor rainbow to show how the factor pairs connect. Every number will have a partner, unless you are listing factors for a square number. If that's the case, there will be one number alone in the center of the rainbow, which is it's own partner (ex. 6 x 6 = 36). You never list a factor twice in the same list. Remember to separate factors in a list using commas.
Examples of student notebooks:
Finding the GCF
Another Example: