As your math tutor, I’m here to help you break down factor pairs of 588 step by step!
Factor pairs of 588 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 588. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 588?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 588.
To find the factor pairs of 588, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 588. 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 588 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
588 ÷ 2 = 294
2 and 294 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 294 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 294 by that number. In this case, 2 is the new smallest prime factor:
294 ÷ 2 = 147
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 294, not 588. So, to finish the factor pair for 588, you’d multiply 2 and 2 before pairing with 147:
2 x 2 = 4
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 588:
(1, 588), (2, 294), (3, 196), (4, 147), (6, 98), (7, 84), (12, 49), (14, 42), (21, 28)
So, to list all the factors of 588: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 21, 28, 42, 49, 84, 98, 147, 196, 294, 588
The negative factors of 588 would be: -1, -2, -3, -4, -6, -7, -12, -14, -21, -28, -42, -49, -84, -98, -147, -196, -294, -588
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!