What is the prime factorization of 360?

The prime factorization of 360 is 2³ × 3² × 5.

To find the prime factorization of 360, we start by dividing it by the smallest prime number, which is 2.

• 360 ÷ 2 = 180
• 180 ÷ 2 = 90
• 90 ÷ 2 = 45

Now, 45 cannot be divided by 2. The next smallest prime is 3:

• 45 ÷ 3 = 15
• 15 ÷ 3 = 5

Finally, we are left with 5, which is itself a prime number. So, combining all the factors we used, we have:

360 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 5

This can be simplified to 2³ × 3² × 5, which is the prime factorization of 360.