factorization

American  

[fak-ter-uh-zay-shuhn, fak-ter-ahy-] / ˌfæk tər əˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌfæk tərˌaɪ- /

noun

factorizations plural

1. Mathematics. the breaking down of a quantity, such as a number or an expression, into factors whose product equals that quantity; the result of this process.

2. the act or process of factoring something, or resolving it into its component parts.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prefactorization
  noun
• refactorization
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• factorizations
  plural

Explanation

In math, factorization is when you break a number down into smaller numbers that, multiplied together, give you that original number. When you split a number into its factors or divisors, that's factorization. For example, factorization of the number 12 might look like 3 times 4. You can break that down even further using prime factorization, when you reduce a number to prime factors. In this case, 12 can be factorized to 3 times 2 times 2. The word factorization comes from factor, which has had a mathematical meaning since the 1600s.