prime factor

American  

[prahym fak-ter] / ˈpraɪm ˈfæk tər /

noun

1. a prime number that is a factor of another number.

   The prime factors of 18 are 2 and 3.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Sometimes prime-factor to resolve (a number) into the prime numbers that are its factors.

   This short video shows how to prime factor a number using a tree diagram.

adjective

1. Sometimes prime-factor relating to or involving prime factors.

   Write out the prime factor expansion for each of the following numbers.

Other Word Forms

• prime factorize verb
• prime-factorize verb

Etymology

Origin of prime factor

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

The high cost of living is a prime factor in the ongoing exodus of many Californians, and also may help explain the relatively lackluster mood of people in the state.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024

And now, the "prime factor" causing a bee crisis is climate change caused by global warming, Baysouni said.

From Reuters • Nov. 22, 2022

The dire lack of sufficient, affordable housing, a chief culprit in the state’s high poverty rates and a prime factor driving people to move out, stems from decades of zoning and land-use decisions.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2021

For the first time in years it could be a prime factor in who voters pick as their next mayor.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 10, 2021

Agriculture as the prime factor of our richness has been the object of special attention during the last seven years of my administration.

From Guatemala, the country of the future by Pepper, Charles M.