Factor pairs of 122 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 122. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 122?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 122.
To find the factor pairs of 122, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 122. 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 122 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
122 ÷ 2 = 61
2 and 61 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 61 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 61 by that number. In this case, 61 is the new smallest prime factor:
61 ÷ 61 = 1
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 61, not 122. So, to finish the factor pair for 122, you’d multiply 2 and 61 before pairing with 1:
2 x 61 = 122
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 122:
(1, 122), (2, 61)
So, to list all the factors of 122: 1, 2, 61, 122
The negative factors of 122 would be: -1, -2, -61, -122