College

The prime factorization of 76 is:

A. [tex]2 \cdot 38[/tex]

B. [tex]2^3 \cdot 7[/tex]

C. 76

D. [tex]2^2 \cdot 19[/tex]

Answer :

Sure! Let's find the prime factorization of 76 through steps.

1. Check if 76 is divisible by 2:
Since 76 is an even number, it's divisible by 2. Divide 76 by 2:
[tex]\[
76 \div 2 = 38
\][/tex]

2. Continue with the result 38:
Again, 38 is an even number, so it's also divisible by 2. Divide 38 by 2:
[tex]\[
38 \div 2 = 19
\][/tex]

3. Check the result 19:
The number 19 is a prime number, meaning it cannot be divided by any number other than 1 and itself.

4. Combine the factors:
From the divisions above, we see that 76 can be expressed as:
[tex]\[
76 = 2 \times 2 \times 19
\][/tex]

5. Express using exponents:
Since 2 is used twice, we can write this using exponents:
[tex]\[
2^2 \times 19
\][/tex]

Thus, the prime factorization of 76 is [tex]\(2^2 \cdot 19\)[/tex].