Find the prime factorization of the number, and write it in exponent form. 612
612/2 = 306
306/2 = 153
153/3 = 51
51/3 = 17
so 22*32*17 = 612
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_prime_factors#601_to_700
To find the prime factorization of a number, we need to determine the prime numbers that multiply together to give us the original number.
Let's find the prime factorization of 612.
First, we divide the number by the smallest prime number, which is 2:
612 ÷ 2 = 306
We have divided out a factor of 2. Now, we continue dividing by 2 until we can no longer do so.
306 ÷ 2 = 153
153 ÷ 2 = 76.5
Since 76.5 is not a whole number, we move on to the next prime number, which is 3.
153 ÷ 3 = 51
51 ÷ 3 = 17
Now, we have reached a prime number, 17. We cannot further divide 17, so now we have the prime factorization of 612:
612 = 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 17
In exponent form, we can write
612 = 2^2 x 3^2 x 17