Prime Factorization

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Hook

A fingerprint for every number

Every number greater than 1 carries a unique prime fingerprint — one combination of primes that builds it and no other. 60 is 2×2×3×5, and no other number in the universe shares that exact recipe. Finding that recipe is prime factorization, and a simple picture — the factor tree — does it almost by itself.

A factor tree keeps splitting every number until only primes remain at the tips.

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