Understanding Prime Factorization
Prime factorization is the process of breaking down a number into its basic building blocks, called prime numbers. Prime numbers are numbers greater than 1 that have no divisors other than 1 and themselves.
Steps to Factorize 18
1. Identify the number: We want to factorize the number 18.
2. Find the smallest prime number: Start with the smallest prime number, which is 2.
3. Divide 18 by 2:
- 18 ÷ 2 = 9
- So, we can write: 18 = 2 × 9
4. Factor 9: Now, we need to factor 9 further. The smallest prime number that divides 9 is 3.
- 9 ÷ 3 = 3
- Therefore, we can write: 9 = 3 × 3
5. Combine the factors: Now we can combine all the factors we found:
- 18 = 2 × 3 × 3
Final Prime Factorization
- The prime factorization of 18 can be expressed as:
- 2 × 3 × 3 or
- 2 × 3^2
Conclusion
- The prime factors of 18 are 2 and 3.
- This means that 18 can be built by multiplying these prime numbers together.
Understanding prime factorization helps in various areas of mathematics, including simplifying fractions and finding the greatest common divisor.

By prime factorisation method the answer will come is - 2 x 3 x 3