Factoring

Factoring is the process of breaking a number or an algebraic expression down into its smaller factor components. For example, the integer 12 can be factored in several different ways. 12=& 2*6 12=& 3*4 12=& 2*2*3 Similarly, monomial algebraic expressions like 4x^3 can be rewritten as a product of their coefficient and variable factors. 4x^3 = 2*2* x* x* x A prime factorization is a product in which every factor is prime. This idea applies to both prime numbers and prime polynomials.