Math Problem Statement

32 students are on a school trip to the zoo. They need to split into smaller groups of equal size to see the animals. No student can be in a group alone. Find all of the possible group sizes.

Solution

To find all of the possible group sizes for the 32 students, we need to find the factors of 32. A factor of a number is a number that divides evenly into that number.

Let's find the factors of 32:

The prime factorization of 32 is 252^5. The factors are the numbers that divide 32 without leaving a remainder. These are:

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32.

Thus, the possible group sizes for the 32 students are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32.

Since the condition is that no student can be in a group alone, the group size of 1 isn't allowed.

So, the valid group sizes are: 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32.

Would you like to know more details or have any questions? Here are some related questions:

  1. How do you find the factors of any number?
  2. What is the significance of prime factorization when determining factors?
  3. Can a number have more than one set of factors?
  4. How do divisors relate to multiplication?
  5. What is the greatest common divisor (GCD) of two numbers?

Tip: If you ever need to find the factors of a number quickly, you can list the divisors starting from 1 and test up to the square root of the number.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Factors
Prime Factorization
Divisibility

Formulas

Prime factorization of a number
List of divisors

Theorems

Factor Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 5-7