What is the prime factorization of 8?

The prime factorization of 8 is 2 × 2 × 2, or 2³.

To understand this, let’s break it down. Prime factorization is the process of expressing a number as the product of its prime factors. A prime number is a whole number greater than 1 that cannot be formed by multiplying two smaller natural numbers. The number 8 can be divided by 2, which is the smallest prime number.

Here’s how it works:

1. Divide 8 by 2: 8 ÷ 2 = 4
2. Divide 4 by 2: 4 ÷ 2 = 2
3. Divide 2 by 2: 2 ÷ 2 = 1

After dividing by 2 repeatedly until we reach 1, we see that 8 can be expressed as 2 × 2 × 2. Writing it in exponent form, we see that 8 = 2³.