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Prime Factorisation Flashcards
GCSE Mathematics (Edexcel) 1MA1
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Prime number
A number greater than 1 that has exactly two factors: 1 and itself.
Factor
A number that divides into another number exactly, without leaving a remainder.
Prime factorisation
Expressing a number as a product of its prime factors.
Method for prime factorisation
Use a factor tree or repeated division by prime numbers to find the prime factors of a number.
Factor tree
A diagram used to break down a number into its prime factors by repeatedly splitting it into factors.
Prime factorisation of 12
12 = 2 × 2 × 3 or 2² × 3.
Prime factorisation of 60
60 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 or 2² × 3 × 5.
Highest Common Factor (HCF) using prime factors
Find the common prime factors of two numbers and multiply them together.
Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) using prime factors
Multiply the highest powers of all prime factors from two numbers.
Why is prime factorisation useful?
It helps to find the HCF and LCM of numbers and simplifies calculations involving factors.
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