Factors are the building blocks of multiplication. They are the numbers that you can multiply together to produce another number: 2 and 10 are factors of 20, as are 4 and 5 and 1 and 20. To factor a number is to rewrite it as a product. 20 = 4 • 5.
Likewise to factor a polynomial, you rewrite it as a product. Just as any integer can be written as the product of factors, so too can any monomial or polynomial be expressed as a product of factors. Factoring is very helpful in simplifying and solving equations using polynomials.
A prime factor is similar to a prime number—it has only itself and 1 as factors. The process of breaking a number down into its prime factors is called prime factorization.
Answer:
Rachelle can walk 3.75 miles in am hour.
Let the original number be ‘x’
Then half of that number= 1/2x or simply x/2
Similarly one fifth of that number = x/5
According to the question
x+x/2+x/5=51
Taking LCM
10x/10+2x/10+5x/10=51
Multiplying 10 throughout
10x+2x+5x=510
17x=510
x=510/17
Therefore x=30