Factors and Factorization
In the previous page, we discovered that we can only form two rectangles using 6 unit squares. These are the 1 × 6 and 2 × 3 rectangles. Using 5 unit squares, we also discovered that we can only form one rectangle, the 1 × 5 rectangle.
Question 1
1.) We can write the math sentence 2 × 3 = 6 where 6 is the number of unit squares used to form the rectangle, 2 is its width, and 3 is its length. What is another term that best describes 6 in relation to the rectangle?
Discussion
We can also think of 2 × 3 = 6 as a multiplication sentence. You have learned that in this sentence, 6 is the product and 2 and 3 are the factors. We call 2 × 3 a factorization of 6. Just like the rectangles, 2 × 3 and 3 × 2 are counted as one factorization.
NOTE: Factorizations can also have more than two numbers. For example, 18 can be factorized as 3 × 3 × 2. But in this lesson, we will limit our discussion to factorizations that use two numbers.
Question 2
What are the other factorizations of 6?
Question 3
3.) Which of the following are factors of 6?