How Prime Factorization Connects Both LCM and GCF
Once you break a number into prime powers—like 360 = 2³ × 3² × 5¹—you can read off its mathematical properties right from the exponents. For example, adding 1 to each exponent and multiplying them together ((3+1) × (2+1) × (1+1) = 4 × 3 × 2 = 24) tells you that 360 has exactly 24 positive factors without having to test every number up to 360.