Factor pairs of 118 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 118. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 118?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 118.
To find the factor pairs of 118, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 118. For reference, the first prime numbers to check are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13. In this case, the smallest factor that’s a prime number larger than 1 is 2.
Step 2:
Divide 118 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
118 ÷ 2 = 59
2 and 59 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 59 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 59 by that number. In this case, 59 is the new smallest prime factor:
59 ÷ 59 = 1
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 59, not 118. So, to finish the factor pair for 118, you’d multiply 2 and 59 before pairing with 1:
2 x 59 = 118
Step 4:
Repeat this process until there are no longer any prime factors larger than one to divide by. At the end, you should have the full list of factor pairs.
Here are all the factor pairs for 118:
(1, 118), (2, 59)
So, to list all the factors of 118: 1, 2, 59, 118
The negative factors of 118 would be: -1, -2, -59, -118