What is the prime factorization of 240?

To find the prime factorization of 240, we begin by dividing it by the smallest prime number, which is 2.

240 ÷ 2 = 120

We can continue dividing by 2 since 120 is an even number:

120 ÷ 2 = 60

60 is also even, so we divide by 2 again:

60 ÷ 2 = 30

Dividing 30 by 2 gives us:

30 ÷ 2 = 15

Now, 15 is no longer even, so we move to the next prime number, which is 3:

15 ÷ 3 = 5

Finally, 5 is a prime number itself, and we cannot divide it further.

Now we can compile all the prime factors we used:

• 2 (used 4 times)
• 3 (used 1 time)
• 5 (used 1 time)

Therefore, the prime factorization of 240 is:

2⁴ × 3¹ × 5¹