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#1 2008-09-08 13:29:40

janette diaz
Member
Registered: 2008-09-08
Posts: 1

proper factor

My daughter have a homework of inter-math . she was on 6 grade and I dont understand this:  Why is the set of factors of a number not the same as the set of proper factors of that number? Explain and give example.

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#2 2008-09-08 17:56:20

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: proper factor

The "proper factors" are the factors other than the number itself. Sometimes 1 is also excluded.

Factors of 12: 1,2,3,4,6,12
Proper Factors of 12: 1,2,3,4,6


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#3 2008-09-09 03:02:28

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: proper factor

MathsIsFun wrote:

Sometimes 1 is also excluded.

Sometimes 1 is called the trivial factor. smile

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