Exercise 1: Prime Factorization and Greatest Common Divisor
This exercise demonstrates the process of prime factorization and its application in finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of two numbers. It also shows how to simplify fractions and solve a practical problem involving the distribution of candies.
Definition: Prime factorization is the process of breaking down a number into the product of its prime factors.
The exercise begins by decomposing the numbers 6120 and 5712 into their prime factors:
6120 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 5 x 17
5712 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 7 x 17
Example: To find the common divisors, we identify the shared prime factors between the two numbers.
The exercise then lists all the common divisors of these two numbers, which include 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 17, 24, 34, 51, 68, 102, 136, 204, and 408.
Highlight: The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 6120 and 5712 is determined to be 408.
Finally, the exercise applies this knowledge to a practical scenario involving a confectioner distributing dragées and pebble-shaped candies. The solution shows that the confectioner can make 408 packets, each containing 14 pebble-shaped candies and 15 dragées.
Vocabulary: Fraction irréductible refers to a fraction that cannot be further simplified, which is achieved by dividing both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor.