As your math tutor, I’m here to help you break down factor pairs of 966 step by step!
Factor pairs of 966 are any two numbers that, when multiplied together, equal 966. The question to ask is “what two numbers multiplied together equal 966?” Every factor can be paired with another factor, and multiplying the two will result in 966.
To find the factor pairs of 966, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Find the smallest prime number that is larger than 1, and is a factor of 966. 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 966 by the smallest prime factor, in this case, 2:
966 ÷ 2 = 483
2 and 483 will make a new factor pair.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2, using 483 as the new focus. Find the smallest prime factor that isn’t 1, and divide 483 by that number. In this case, 3 is the new smallest prime factor:
483 ÷ 3 = 161
Remember that this new factor pair is only for the factors of 483, not 966. So, to finish the factor pair for 966, you’d multiply 2 and 3 before pairing with 161:
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 966:
(1, 966), (2, 483), (3, 322), (6, 161), (7, 138), (14, 69), (21, 46), (23, 42)
So, to list all the factors of 966: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, 23, 42, 46, 69, 138, 161, 322, 483, 966
The negative factors of 966 would be: -1, -2, -3, -6, -7, -14, -21, -23, -42, -46, -69, -138, -161, -322, -483, -966
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!