From: Suzanne (for Teacher2Teacher Service)
Date: Mar 27, 2001 at 18:57:17
Subject: Re: GCF & LCM factor trees

Jennifer,
The component parts of a number are its prime factors.  By breaking numbers
down into their simpler components it provides a bit of number sense.  It is
often necessary to factor a number into prime factors in algebra so making
factor trees could be a natural lead in at the elementary level.  It also
allows the students to see the various ways a number can be broken down and
still arrive at the same final result.  There are also some good websites
that might answer your question.  Try  www.homeworkhelp.com
 -Suzanne, for the T2T service

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