As your math tutor, I’m here to help you break down factor pairs of 462 step by step!
Factor pairs of 462 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 462. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 462?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 462.
To find the factor pairs of 462, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 462. 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 462 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
462 ÷ 2 = 231
2 and 231 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 231 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 231 by that number. In this case, 3 is the new smallest prime factor:
231 ÷ 3 = 77
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 231, not 462. So, to finish the factor pair for 462, you’d multiply 2 and 3 before pairing with 77:
2 x 3 = 6
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 462:
(1, 462), (2, 231), (3, 154), (6, 77), (7, 66), (11, 42), (14, 33), (21, 22)
So, to list all the factors of 462: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 14, 21, 22, 33, 42, 66, 77, 154, 231, 462
The negative factors of 462 would be: -1, -2, -3, -6, -7, -11, -14, -21, -22, -33, -42, -66, -77, -154, -231, -462
Now you’ve got it! A math tutor would always encourage you to practice with different numbers to reinforce your understanding of factor pairs. Try another one!