Factor pairs of 129 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 129. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 129?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 129.
To find the factor pairs of 129, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 129. 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 3.
Step 2:
Divide 129 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 3:
129 ÷ 3 = 43
3 and 43 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 43 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 43 by that number. In this case, 43 is the new smallest prime factor:
43 ÷ 43 = 1
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 43, not 129. So, to finish the factor pair for 129, you’d multiply 3 and 43 before pairing with 1:
3 x 43 = 129
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 129:
(1, 129), (3, 43)
So, to list all the factors of 129: 1, 3, 43, 129
The negative factors of 129 would be: -1, -3, -43, -129