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BECE Mathematics 2014 Paper

Question : 5

Total: 40

Solution:

Concept:

Expressing a number as a product of its prime factors means breaking it into prime numbers only.

Explanation:

Divide

72

by the smallest prime,

2

72 \div 2 = 36

36 \div 2 = 18

18 \div 2 = 9

Now

9

cannot be divided by

2

, so divide by the next prime,

3

9 \div 3 = 3

3 \div 3 = 1

So,

72 = 2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 3 \times 3

This can be written using exponents as

72 = 2^3 \times 3^2

Answer:

2^3 \times 3^2

, which is option D.

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