Write 36 as a product of its prime factors. - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 1 - 2017 - Paper 1

To express 36 as a product of its prime factors, we start by dividing by the smallest prime number.

1. Divide 36 by 2 (the smallest prime): $36 \div 2 = 18$
2. Divide 18 by 2 again: $18 \div 2 = 9$
3. Now, divide 9 by 3 (the next smallest prime): $9 \div 3 = 3$
4. Finally, divide 3 by 3: $3 \div 3 = 1$

Thus, we find the prime factors are 2, 2, 3, and 3. Combining these gives us:

$36 = 2 \times 2 \times 3 \times 3$.