As your math tutor, I’m here to help you break down factor pairs of 522 step by step!
Factor pairs of 522 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 522. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 522?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 522.
To find the factor pairs of 522, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 522. 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 522 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
522 ÷ 2 = 261
2 and 261 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 261 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 261 by that number. In this case, 3 is the new smallest prime factor:
261 ÷ 3 = 87
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 261, not 522. So, to finish the factor pair for 522, you’d multiply 2 and 3 before pairing with 87:
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 522:
(1, 522), (2, 261), (3, 174), (6, 87), (9, 58), (18, 29)
So, to list all the factors of 522: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18, 29, 58, 87, 174, 261, 522
The negative factors of 522 would be: -1, -2, -3, -6, -9, -18, -29, -58, -87, -174, -261, -522
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!