In this lesson, students begin to learn how to decompose numbers into the factors that make up the number.
Students are given one of the factors in each of the possible pairs of factors for a given number and they learn to identify the missing factor in each case. The given factors always include the number 1 for each number given.
In this lesson, students learn to identify all the possible factors of a given number. They learn a systematic approach to identifying all the factors. They start with 1 as a factor, which is always one of the factors of any given number. Next, they try the next highest number, 2, as a factor. If it is a factor, they identify the other factor. Next, they try the next highest number, 3, as a factor. If it is a factor, they identify the other factor. They continue this process until all the factors have been identified for the number given.
In this lesson, students learn that they can shorten their search for all the possible factors of a number. This is done by recognizing that the number tried as the first factor in any pair will never exceed the second factor of the last factor pair found.