Factors:  We have learned that a number can have many names. Let us review briefly this aspect. For example, the symbol 3 can be simply called three, a digit, a numeral, a number, a prime number, or an odd number. The symbol 3 in the written form is called a numeral. Calling it a prime number emphasizes its unique attribute, that the number 3 belongs to the class of numbers that can only be divided by 1 and itself.

The symbol 3 has another unique attribute - it is an odd number. Numbers not divisible by 2 are called odd numbers. The symbol 3 is a digit. We use digits to write numerals. The symbol 3 symbolizes an idea, which tells us "how many" or "how much," and can be expressed with other symbols: 1 + 1 + 1; 2 + 1; or 1 + 2. And in the numeral 234, for example, the digit’s 3 definite value is still three, but its positional value is thirty, meaning 3 tens or 30 ones.

Idea of a Factor: The 3 can also be called a factor and since 3 is a prime number, it can also be called a prime factor.

What does the word "factor" mean? Generally, it means certain elements,

circumstances, a component, an aspect, a cause or condition, which have a bearing on a final result.

Examples:
1. The hockey coach said that the competence and team-effort of the players were factors in winning the game.

2.  Fog was one of the factors that caused a chain-reaction car pileup.

3.  The cost of material, labour, manufacturer’s profit, and wholesaler’s mark-up are factors that go into setting the retail price of an article.

4. Homework was a factors in Miranda’s high math-marks, said her mom.

In mathematics, a number, which goes into  another number an exact  number of times is called a factor of that number.