The prime factorization of 32 is 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2, or it can also be written as 25.
To understand how we arrive at this factorization, let’s break it down step by step. Prime factorization is the process of expressing a number as the product of its prime factors. A prime number is any number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself.
Starting with the number 32, we can divide it by the smallest prime number, which is 2:
- 32 ÷ 2 = 16
- 16 ÷ 2 = 8
- 8 ÷ 2 = 4
- 4 ÷ 2 = 2
- 2 ÷ 2 = 1
We see that we can divide by 2 five times before we reach 1. Therefore, all of the factors we used to reach 1 (which are all 2s) are prime factors of 32
As a result, the prime factorization of 32 is confirmed as 25.