- 1). Check if each smaller integer will divide evenly into the original number without leaving a remainder. Start with 2 and work your way up. For instance, if you factor 120, divide it by 2, then by 3 and continue upward.
- 2). Write down all numbers that divide evenly into the integer. Along with each factor, write down its quotient to generate a factor pair. For instance, 2 divides evenly into 120, and the quotient is 60. Therefore, 2 and 60 are both factors of 120.
- 3). Stop the process when you arrive at a quotient that is less than or equal to a number that you already tested. For instance, if you check all the numbers up to 12 to see which ones divide evenly into 120, you will see that 120 / 12 = 10. Because 10 was tested before 12, this means you can stop at 12. You do not need to check 13 or higher numbers.
- 4). Write down all the factor pairs. This will generate a complete list of factors for the integer. The factors of 120 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 40, 60 and 120.
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