As your math tutor, I’m here to help you break down factor pairs of 498 step by step!
Factor pairs of 498 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 498. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 498?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 498.
To find the factor pairs of 498, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 498. 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 498 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
498 ÷ 2 = 249
2 and 249 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 249 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 249 by that number. In this case, 3 is the new smallest prime factor:
249 ÷ 3 = 83
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 249, not 498. So, to finish the factor pair for 498, you’d multiply 2 and 3 before pairing with 83:
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 498:
(1, 498), (2, 249), (3, 166), (6, 83)
So, to list all the factors of 498: 1, 2, 3, 6, 83, 166, 249, 498
The negative factors of 498 would be: -1, -2, -3, -6, -83, -166, -249, -498
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!