How do you find prime factorisation of 153?

To find the prime factorization of 153, you need to break it down into its prime factors. Here’s how you can do it step by step:

Step 1: Start with the smallest prime number

The smallest prime number is 2. Since 153 is odd, it is not divisible by 2. Next, try the next prime number, which is 3.

Step 2: Check divisibility by 3

To see if 153 is divisible by 3, add the digits together: 1 + 5 + 3 = 9. Since 9 is divisible by 3, so is 153.

Perform the division

Now, divide 153 by 3:

• 153 ÷ 3 = 51

Step 3: Factor 51

Next, we need to factor 51. Again, check if it is divisible by 3:

• 5 + 1 = 6, which is divisible by 3.

So, divide 51 by 3:

• 51 ÷ 3 = 17

Step 4: Identify the prime factors

Now we have:

• 153 = 3 × 3 × 17

Since 17 is a prime number, we can stop here.

Final Result

The prime factorization of 153 is:

• 3² × 17