What is the prime factorization of 252?

1. Break 252 into two factors, such as 12 and 21, and continue splitting any factor that is not prime. 2. Splitting 12 gives 2, 2, and 3, and splitting 21 gives 3 and 7. 3. Every branch now ends in a prime, so circle each one: two 2s, two 3s, and one 7. 4. Writing 252 as the product of the circled primes gives 2 times 2 times 3 times 3 times 7. _Source: OpenStax Elementary Algebra (CC BY 4.0), Ch 1 "Foundations", section 1.1 Introduction to Whole Numbers_