Factor pairs of 146 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 146. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 146?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 146.
To find the factor pairs of 146, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 146. 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 146 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
146 ÷ 2 = 73
2 and 73 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 73 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 73 by that number. In this case, 73 is the new smallest prime factor:
73 ÷ 73 = 1
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 73, not 146. So, to finish the factor pair for 146, you’d multiply 2 and 73 before pairing with 1:
2 x 73 = 146
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 146:
(1, 146), (2, 73)
So, to list all the factors of 146: 1, 2, 73, 146
The negative factors of 146 would be: -1, -2, -73, -146