Q. What is the prime factorization of 18?Choices:(A) 2×3(B) 3×3(C) 2×3×3(D) 2×2×3×3
Check Prime Status: Step 1: Determine if 18 is a prime number. Since 18 can be divided by numbers other than 1 and itself, it is not a prime number.
Divide by 2: Step 2: Start dividing 18 by the smallest prime number, which is 2. 18÷2=9. So, 2 is a prime factor.
Check Prime Status: Step 3: Now, check if 9 is a prime number. Since 9 can be divided by 3, it's not a prime. Divide 9 by 3 to get 3. So, 3 is another prime factor.
Final Prime Factorization: Step 4: We're left with 3. Since 3 is a prime number, it's also a prime factor. So, the prime factorization of 18 is 2×3×3.