# Create a method to find the factors of any real number?

1. Jun 14, 2005

### no name

create a method to find the factors of any real number ? and then use it to find the factors of 45000 ???

2. Jun 14, 2005

### BicycleTree

Answer:You cannot factor every real number. You can only factor integers.

3. Jun 14, 2005

### no name

ok .... i am sorry .... i meant integers

4. Jun 14, 2005

### Galileo

Just reduce it step by step: 45000=(45)(1000)=(5)(9)(10)(10)(10)=(2^3)(3^2)(5^4)

5. Jun 15, 2005

### SGT

What I learned in elementary school is to divide successively by all primes until you get 1 in the quotient.
45000 / 2
22500 / 2
11250 / 2
5625 / 3
1875 / 3
625 / 5
125 / 5
25 / 5
5 / 5
1
$$45000 =2^3*3^2*5^4$$

6. Jun 15, 2005

### Gale

elaborating on SGT's and Galileo's, all the factors of 4500 are any combinations of their prime factorizations. maybe you got that.. but some kids don't...

at any rate, this sounds more like a homework problem than a teaser...

7. Jun 16, 2005

### TenaliRaman

Factorise 9875635421
I dare ya!!

[think]my homework will be finished soon![/think]

-- AI