What is a prime power factorization?
All composite numbers can be expressed as unique products of
prime numbers. This is accomplished by dividing the original number
and its factors by prime numbers until all the factors are prime. A
factor tree can help you visualize this.
Example: 216
216 Divide by two.
108,2 Divide by two.
54,2,2 Divide by two.
27,2,2,2 Divide by three.
9,3,2,2,2 Divide by three.
3,3,3,2,2,2 Stop. All the factors are prime.
2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 216
Repeated factors can be abbreviated by the use of exponents
(powers).
23 x 33 = 216
That's the prime power factorization of 216.