Re: Factors and Terms

["Leif Svalgaard" <leif@xxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Peter Dow <pcdow@MailAndNews.com>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2000 10:42 AM
Subject: Re: Factors and Terms


> From: "Leif Svalgaard" <leif@leif.org>
> > it has only one factor, namely 7. If you want to call 1 a factor of 7,
> then
> > I'll argue that 7 has seven factors, viz. 7, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, because
> > undeniably 7 = 7*1*1*1*1*1*1.
> 
> Why stop there? You could have an infinite number of *1's there.

just my point, but David has a limit on the size of a posting so
my example wouldn't make it through  <g>

> 
> 
> > A factorization of a number by convention excludes the divisor 1,
> > in order to maintain the desirable property that every number larger
> > than 1 can be written as a unique product of prime numbers raised
> > to integral powers. The factorization of 6 is 6 = 2**1 * 3**1, of 28 is
> > 28 = 2**3 * 7**1, of 7 is 7 = 7**!, etc.
> 
> 28 = 2**3 * 7**1? That *must* be fuzzy math!<G>

jeez, you guys actually read this drivel?
even the last example was wrong (hint ! should be 1).


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