Question

How do you create a factor tree for 204?

Answer 1

See explanation...

Explanation:

`color(white)()`
`color(white)(00000)204`
`color(white)(0000)"/"color(white)(000)"\"`
`color(white)(000)2color(white)(0000)102`
`color(white)(0000000)"/"color(white)(000)"\"`
`color(white)(000000)2color(white)(0000)51`
`color(white)(0000000000)"/"color(white)(00)"\"`
`color(white)(000000000)3color(white)(000)17`

• `204` ends with an even digit, so we can tell that it's divisible by `2`...

  `204 = 2 xx 102`

`color(white)()`
* `102` ends with an even digit, so we can tell that it's divisible by `2`...

`102 = 2 xx 51`

`color(white)()`
* `51` ends in an odd digit, so is not divisible by `2`, but the sum of its digits is `5+1 = 6`, which is divisible by `3`. So we can tell that `51` is divisible by `3`...

`51 = 3 xx 17`

`color(white)()`
* `17` is a prime number, so stop.