A number has exactly three factors if and only if it is the square of a prime number.
49
49
9 (1,3,and9)
The squares of most 2 digit prime numbers. For example 2809, which is the square of 53, has 3 factors : 1, 53 and 2809 itself.
9801.
9409
333 3 11 111
The common factors of 609 and 957 are 1, 3, 29 and 87. No 3-digit numbers.
How about 99 whose factors are: 1, 3, 9, 11 33 and 99
The largest one digit number that has three factors is 9. Its factors are 1, 3, and 9.
The best way to tackle this is to take the largest 3 digit number (999) and work out its prime factors. You can then work down until you get one with exactly five prime factors. 999 is 3x3x3x37, 998 is 2x499, 997 is prime, 996 is 2x2x3x83, 995 is 5x199, 994 is 2x7x71, 993 is 3x331, 992 is 2x2x2x2x2x31, 991 is prime, 990 is 2x3x3x5x11. That is the first we came across with five prime factors. Therefore the largest 3 digit number with exactly five prime factors is 990.
240
840
A number has exactly three factors if and only if it is the square of a prime number.
The one digit number that has the same number of factors as the number six is three. Six's factors are 1, 2, 3, and 6 while three's factors are 1 and 3. Therefore, both numbers have the same number of factors.
512 has 9 prime factors