Põhiteguritele

Põhiteguritele refers to the process of prime factorization in Estonian mathematics. Prime factorization is the decomposition of a composite number into a product of its prime factors. A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. For example, the prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and so on.

The fundamental theorem of arithmetic states that every integer greater than 1 can be uniquely represented as a product of prime numbers, disregarding the order of the factors. This unique representation is what is sought when performing prime factorization.

To find the prime factors of a number, one can start by dividing the number by the smallest prime number that divides it evenly. This process is then repeated with the resulting quotient until the quotient itself is a prime number. For instance, to find the prime factorization of 12, one would first divide by 2, resulting in 6. Then, 6 is divided by 2, resulting in 3. Since 3 is a prime number, the prime factorization of 12 is 2 x 2 x 3, or 2^2 x 3.

Prime factorization is a fundamental concept in number theory and has applications in various areas of mathematics, including cryptography, modular arithmetic, and the study of number properties. Understanding and performing põhiteguritele is a key skill for students learning elementary number theory.