ACT Math : Factors / Multiples

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : How To Find Out If A Number Is Prime

How many integers between 2 and 61 are prime numbers, inclusive?

Possible Answers:

15

18

17

19

16

Correct answer:

18

Explanation:

The key word is “inclusive.” The answer is 18 prime numbers. If you answered 16, you did not include 2 and 61 as prime numbers. If you answered 17, you only included one of the outer limits in the range. If you answered 15, you did not include the outer limits, 2 and 61, as prime numbers and miscounted. There are 18 prime numbers between 2 and 61 when you include the range’s limits.

Example Question #5 : Prime Numbers

Which of the following sets of numbers contain all prime numbers?

Possible Answers:

13, 29, 35

13, 25, 31

13, 27, 31

13, 29, 31

13, 27, 33

Correct answer:

13, 29, 31

Explanation:

A prime number can only be divided by the number itself and 1.

Example Question #1 : How To Factor A Number

The number 9 is the second smallest integer with 3 factors, 1, 3, and 9. What is the sum of the factors of the smallest integer with only 3 factors?

Possible Answers:
17
7
15
13
4
Correct answer: 7
Explanation:

Here we must do two things. First we must find the smallest integer with 3 factors, then we must add those factors so that we can obtain our answer.

 

Looking at numbers less than 9 with only 3 factors, the only possibility is the number 4, whose factors are 1, 2, and 4.

 

The sum of these factors is 1 + 2 + 4 = 7

Example Question #2 : How To Factor A Number

If a and b are both factors of 64, which of the following could be a * b?

Possible Answers:

128

200

1920

34

Correct answer:

128

Explanation:

The factors of 64 are: 1,2,4,8,16,32,64. Therefore, 128 could be the product of 16 and 8.

Example Question #82 : Integers

Which of the following is not a factor of 52?

Possible Answers:

13

3

4

26

2

Correct answer:

3

Explanation:

Listing all the factors of 52: 1,2,4,13,26,52.

3 is not one of the factors.

Example Question #4 : How To Factor A Number

Which of the following lists all the factors of 36?

Possible Answers:

2, 3

2, 4, 12, 18, 36

1, 36

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36

36, 72

Correct answer:

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36

Explanation:

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36 are all of the factors of 36. 

Example Question #5 : How To Factor A Number

What are the factors of the number 12?

Possible Answers:

1, 12

3, 4

2, 6

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12

2, 3, 6

Correct answer:

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12

Explanation:

The factors of a number are all the numbers that can be multiplied by an integer to get that number.

Example Question #6 : How To Factor A Number

What is the sum of the greatest common factor (GCF) and the least common multiple (LCM) of , , and ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

:  the largest factor that divides evenly into all numbers

:  the smallest non-zero number that divides evenly into all numbers.  If you are unable to find the GCF, then it is 1.

Prime factorize all numbers:

 , because all numbers are relatively prime.

  

Therefore, .

Example Question #7 : How To Factor A Number

What is the power of the greatest prime factor of ?

Possible Answers:

4

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To get the answer to this question, just carefully prime factor the value :

First, 

Now,  

For , begin by dividing by :

Now, this is a bit trickier for . This happens to be divisible by :

 also is divisible by :

Thus, your total answer is:

Example Question #8 : How To Factor A Number

How many factors are there for the number ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To find the number of factors of a given number, the easiest thing to do is to make a table of the factors, starting with  and that number. So, for , we get:

At this point, things begin to repeat. Thus, the total number of factors is .

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