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# factor

«factor» in Mova's school dictionary: **a whole number that divides exactly into another number…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a factor, factors); verb (factor, factors, factored, factoring — factor in)

### meaning for a pupil

1) In maths, a factor is a whole number that divides exactly into another number with no remainder: 3 is a factor of 12. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#m1)

2) A factor is one of the things that causes or affects a result. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#m2)

3) To factor something in is to include it when you plan or work something out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#m3)

4) A factor (such as sun protection factor) is a number showing how strong something is. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#m4)

5) A factor is an agent who buys, sells or looks after goods for someone else. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In maths lessons, pupils list the factors of a number, find common factors, the highest common factor, and prime factors; factors come in pairs that multiply to the number. In everyday life, the weather can be a factor in a decision. On sun cream, «factor 50» shows the strength. Phrases: a factor of, common factor, prime factor, scale factor, key factor, factor in.

### examples

- The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x1)
- 5 is not a factor of 12, because 12 ÷ 5 leaves a remainder. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x2)
- The highest common factor of 8 and 12 is 4. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x3)
- Rain was a big factor in the team losing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x4)
- Put on factor 50 sun cream at the beach. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x5)
- Don't forget to factor in time for lunch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x6)
- Multiply each side by the scale factor 3 to make the shape bigger. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x7)
- 2 and 3 are the prime factors of 6. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x8)
- Away flew the factor, while another dinner was providing, and returned with the cat just as the rats and mice were devouring that also. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/#x9)

### note

Do not confuse factors with multiples: factors of 12 are smaller numbers that go into 12; multiples of 12 are 12, 24, 36… Every number has 1 and itself as factors. A prime number has exactly two factors. A scale factor tells you how many times larger or smaller a shape becomes.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «factor» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/factor/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.