Count the Factors

 In this activity, we are going to be looking at the factors of numbers.

The number 6 has four factors, shown in pairs on the legs of this factor spider.

The factor pairs of 6 are:

1 and 6

2 and 3

So, it has two factor pairs and four factors: 1, 2, 3 and 6

The number 12 has six factors, shown on the legs of this factor spider.

The factor pairs of 12 are:
1 and 12
2 and 6
3 and 4

So, there are three factor pairs and six factors: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12

Look at the factor spider for the number 9, which has three factors.

It has two factor pairs:

1 and 9

3 and 3

But only three factors: 1, 3 and 9

Note that the factor 3 should only be counted once.
 

Let's try some questions now.