Last updated on May 26th, 2025
Factors are the numbers that divide any given number evenly without remainder. In daily life, we use factors for tasks like sharing items equally, arranging things, etc. In this topic, we will learn about the factors of -16, how they are used in real life, and the tips to learn them quickly.
The numbers that divide -16 evenly are known as factors of -16.
A factor of -16 is a number that divides the number without a remainder.
The factors of 16 are 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16.
The negative factors of -16: -1, -2, -4, -8, and -16.
Prime factors of 16: 2.
Prime factorization of 16: 24.
The sum of factors of 16 (positive only): 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 = 31
Factors can be found using different methods. Mentioned below are some commonly used methods:
To find factors using multiplication, we need to identify the pairs of numbers that are multiplied to give 16. Identifying the numbers which are multiplied to get the number 16 is the multiplication method.
Step 1: Multiply 16 by 1, 16 × 1 = 16.
Step 2: Check for other numbers that give 16 after multiplying
2 × 8 = 16
4 × 4 = 16
Therefore, the positive factor pairs of 16 are: (1, 16), (2, 8), (4, 4).
For every positive factor, there is a negative factor for -16: (-1, -16), (-2, -8), (-4, -4).
Dividing the given numbers with the whole numbers until the remainder becomes zero and listing out the numbers which result in whole numbers as factors. Factors can be calculated by following a simple division method:
Step 1: Divide 16 by 1, 16 ÷ 1 = 16.
Step 2: Continue dividing 16 by the numbers until the remainder becomes 0.
16 ÷ 1 = 16
16 ÷ 2 = 8
16 ÷ 4 = 4
Therefore, the factors of 16 are: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16.
The factors of -16 are: -1, -2, -4, -8, -16.
The factors can be found by dividing with prime numbers. We can find the prime factors using the following methods:
Using Prime Factorization: In this process, prime factors of 16 divide the number to break it down into the multiplication form of prime factors till the remainder becomes 1.
16 ÷ 2 = 8
8 ÷ 2 = 4
4 ÷ 2 = 2
2 ÷ 2 = 1
The prime factor of 16 is 2.
The prime factorization of 16 is: 24.
The factor tree is the graphical representation of breaking down any number into prime factors. The following steps show:
Step 1: Firstly, 16 is divided by 2 to get 8.
Step 2: Now divide 8 by 2 to get 4.
Step 3: Then divide 4 by 2 to get 2. Here, 2 is the smallest prime number, that cannot be divided anymore.
So, the prime factorization of 16 is: 24.
Factor Pairs: Two numbers that are multiplied to give a specific number are called factor pairs. Both positive and negative factors constitute factor pairs.
Positive factor pairs of 16: (1, 16), (2, 8), and (4, 4).
Negative factor pairs of -16: (-1, -16), (-2, -8), and (-4, -4).
Mistakes are common while finding factors. We can identify and correct those mistakes using the following common mistakes and the ways to avoid them.
There are 4 friends and 16 candies. How will they divide it equally?
They will get 4 candies each.
To divide the candies equally, we need to divide the total candies by the number of friends.
16/4 = 4
A garden is rectangular, the length of the garden is 4 meters and the total area is 16 square meters. Find the width?
4 meters.
To find the width of the garden, we use the formula,
Area = length × width
16 = 4 × width
To find the value of width, we shift 4 to the left side.
16/4 = width
Width = 4.
There are 8 boxes and 16 apples. How many apples will be in each box?
Each box will have 2 apples.
To find the apples in each box, divide the total apples by the boxes.
16/8 = 2
In a class, there are 16 students, and 2 groups. How many students are there in each group?
There are 8 students in each group.
Dividing the students by the total groups, we will get the number of students in each group.
16/2 = 8
16 books need to be arranged in 4 shelves. How many books will go on each shelf?
Each of the shelves has 4 books.
Divide total books by shelves.
16/4 = 4
Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana has almost two years of teaching experience. She is a number ninja as she loves numbers. Her interest in numbers can be seen in the way she cracks math puzzles and hidden patterns.
: She loves to read number jokes and games.