To express 98 as a product of its prime factors, follow these steps:

1. Start by dividing 98 by the smallest prime number, which is 2: $98 \div 2 = 49$ So, 98 can be written as: $98 = 2 \times 49$

2. Next, factor 49. Since 49 is divisible by 7 (a prime number), we get: $49 = 7 \times 7$

3. Now, we can express 98 as: $98 = 2 \times 7 \times 7$ or: $98 = 2 \times 7^2$

Thus, the prime factorization of 98 is $2 \times 7^2$.

Would you like more details on the factorization process, or any further questions?

Here are some related questions you might consider:

1. What are the prime factors of 196?
2. How would you find the prime factorization of 56?
3. What is the prime factorization of 245?
4. How do you check if a number is prime?
5. What is the least common multiple (LCM) of 98 and 56?

Tip: Always begin by dividing a number by the smallest prime number and work upwards.