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Imagine you have a set of blocks, and you want to divide them into equal groups without breaking any blocks. The Factors tell you how many groups you can create and how many blocks would be in each group. In this blog, you will get to know the Factors of 4, the reasoning behind it, the Negative Factors, the Pair Factors, the Factor Tree and the Factors of 4 by the Division Method.
Table of Contents
What are the Factors of 4?
A Factor of a number is any number that divides evenly into that number, with no remainder left behind. Furthermore, when a number divides evenly, it means the division results in a whole number and not a fraction.
- 1 divides into 4 perfectly (4 ÷ 1 = 4)
- 2 divides into 4 perfectly (4 ÷ 2 = 2)
- 4 divides into 4 perfectly (4 ÷ 4 = 1).
Thereby, 1, 2, and 4 itself are the Factors of 4.
Also Read: Factors of 15, Division Method, Factor Pairs and more!
What are the Negative Factors of 4?
Using the same logic as Positive factors, Negative factors are negative numbers that are divided evenly into a number.
In the case of 4, you can see that:
- -1 x (-4) = 4 (one group of negative four)
- -2 x (-2) = 4 (two groups of negative two)
Therefore, if Negative factors are considered, you can add -1, -2, and -4 to the list of Factors for 4.
Also Read: Factors of 16: Negative Factors, Factor Tree, Pairs and Division Method and more!
What are the Pair Factors of 4?
Each Factor of a number has a corresponding “partner” that you multiply by to get the original number.
For 4, you have the following pairs:
- 1 and 4 (1 x 4 = 4)
- 2 and 2 (2 x 2 = 4)
Furthermore, when considering Negative factors, you would also have these negative pair factors:
- -1 and -4 (-1 x -4 = 4)
- -2 and -2 (-2 x -2 = 4)
Thus, each Factor of 4 is paired with another factor that, when multiplied by it, results in 4.
Also Read: Factors of 12: Definition, Prime Factorization, Factor Tree
What is the Factor Tree of 4?
A Factor tree is a pictorial tool that shows the factors of a number in a hierarchical way. It starts with the number itself at the top and branches down, hence showing how it can be broken down into its constituent factors.
As 4 is a relatively small number and not a Prime number, its Factor tree will be quite simple.
Moreover, here is the Factor tree of 4:
4
/ \
2 2
As you can see, the number 4 sits at the top, and since it can be further broken down into 2 multiplied by itself (2 x 2), the branches extend downwards to show these factors.
Also Read: Factors of 18: Factor Tree, Factor Pairs, Prime Factorization Method
Factors of 4 by Division Method
Additionally, here is another way to get to know the Factors of 4 which is by the Division Method. This method involves trying to divide the number by different integers and checking for remainders.
Here is how you can find the Factors of 4 using division:
- Start with 1. It divides into 4 with no remainder (4 ÷ 1 = 4), so 1 is a factor.
- Next, try dividing by 2. This also goes into 4 evenly (4 ÷ 2 = 2), so 2 is another factor.
- Move on to 3. Dividing 4 by 3 results in a remainder of 1 (4 ÷ 3 = 1 R 1). Since there is a remainder, 3 is not a factor of 4.
- Thereafter continue trying with increasing numbers. You will find that no other whole number divides into 4 with no remainder.
Therefore, using the Division method, you reach the same conclusion that 1, 2 and 4 are the Factors of 4.
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I hope this helps! Did you like learning about the Factors of 4? Keep reading our blogs to learn more about the Basic Concepts of Maths!