Reviewing Prime Factorization at the High School Level

My Algebra 1 students are currently working through our unit of measurement on radicals. I already blogged close the dry erase piece of work mat I made for my students to operate to organize their piece of work for simplifying radicals.

Before nosotros could genuinely laid out to simplify radicals, nosotros needed to review how to notice the prime factorization of a number. This is a science they should direct hold learned earlier reaching high school, but I wanted to review it to brand certain my students had an fifty-fifty footing.

My students were taught to brand component trees to notice the prime factorization. That's the way I was taught, too. But, when I was completing my educatee didactics at Edison Preparatory School, ane of the eighth aeroplane teachers invited me to her Algebra 1 cast to acquire close the birthday cake method for finding prime factorization. It was LOVE at showtime sight!

I demonstrate both methods to my students together with allow them select the method they prefer.

Many students prefer the component tree method because yous tin start alongside ANY 2 numbers that multiply to the given number. Then, yous conk on alongside finding factors until all of the factors are prime.

The argue I effort to steer students away from the component tree method is that it tin acquire messy. I direct hold seen likewise many students produce a component tree similar the occupation higher upwards together with write the prime factorization equally 2^2 * iii * v instead of 2^3 * iii * 5.

The birthday cake method tin accept a flake longer to acquire started because yous must notice a prime let on that divides into the given number. You tin start alongside whatsoever prime let on that divides into the number, but many of my students select to operate 2, 3, 5, 7, etc inwards that order.

I dear that the birthday cake method is then streamlined. Instead of searching for all of my prime factors inwards a tree, my prime factors are all lined upwards nicely for me.

To aid my students shout out upwards their prime numbers, I created a quarter canvas alongside each of the prime numbers below 100 for my students to gum inwards their notebooks. I direct hold a few students repeating Algebra 1 for the minute time. They asked me why I hadn't given them something similar this end year! I approximate that way they constitute it useful!

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few years ago, I created a prime numbers banner poster that my students oftentimes reference.

After discussing the 2 methods I presented for finding prime factorization, I gave my students a practise mass which gave them a gamble to effort out both methods.

After giving students a flake of fourth dimension to piece of work each problem, a educatee volunteer came to the SMARTBoard to acquaint a solution. We alternated methods alongside each solution presentation.

My students were SHOCKED to notice out that they ever got the same prime factorization fifty-fifty though they took many dissimilar paths to acquire there!

Now that we've been simplifying radicals for awhile, my students direct hold started to realize that nosotros direct hold to hold figuring out only about of the same prime factorizations over together with over together with over. One of my eighth graders remarked that it would move cool to direct hold something inwards our notes that gave us every unmarried prime factorization.

I took this thought together with ran alongside it. Kinda. I did brand them a tabular array to gum inwards their notebooks for the prime factorization of the numbers betwixt 1 together with 100.

I typed the prime numbers inwards large impress inwards shaded cells. I typed the composite numbers inwards modest impress inwards unshaded cells. This way students direct hold room to write inwards the prime factorization when they notice it. Then, inwards the future, they tin operate the prime factorization for that let on without making only about other birthday cake or component tree.

Some of my students genuinely took to this together with eagerly worked on filling out each box later finishing their quiz.

Hopefully I haven't made whatsoever mistakes when filling mine out. I direct hold to tell that it came inwards handy when I was making answer keys for our adding together with subtracting radicals quiz today!

I'll postal service to a greater extent than close how I'm didactics my students to simplify radicals soon. I experience similar my students direct hold a much greater conceptual agreement of how radicals piece of work than ever before!

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