Factor

Factor

Each of the elements that are involved in a multiplication.

Example

In the multiplication 24 × 7 = 168, the numbers 24 and 7 are called factors and the number 168 is called the product.

Educational Note

  • We often confuse the terms factors and divisor.
  • The set of the divisors of 12 is: div (12) = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12}.
  • In the factorization of the number 12, which is 12 = 2 × 2 × 3, the numbers 2 and 3 are called factors.

Historical Note

In Latin, factor means “a person who does or makes“. In Greek, in Euclid’s Elements, the word that indicates a factor of a product is “pleura“, which means “side”, because geometrically, the product is considered as the area of a rectangle and the lengths of the sides are the factors of the product.

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