What Are the Factors of 39?
A bag of 39 stickers can go into 3 packs of 13 or 13 packs of 3. Every one of those tidy splits is a factor: a whole number that divides another number exactly, with no remainder.
The factors of 39 are 1, 3, 13 and 39. That is four factors.
Factor Pairs of 39
Look for pairs that multiply to 39, working from the outside in.
- Start with 1 × 39.
- Try 3. Since 39 ÷ 3 = 13, write 3 × 13.
- Keep trying whole numbers until you reach 13, which is already in your list. Every factor is now found, so you are done.
Prime Factorization of 39
Prime factors show what 39 is built from. Split it and keep going until every branch is a prime.
So 39 = 3 × 13. Its prime factors are 3 and 13. Each prime appears once, so the count is (1 + 1) × (1 + 1) = 4, which matches the list.
Divisibility check for 39
A number divides by 39 when it divides by 3 and 13. Take 117: its digits add up to 9, and 117 ÷ 13 = 9, so 117 is a multiple of 39.
Is 39 a Prime or Composite Number?
Composite. It has four factors. The sum of all factors is 1 + 3 + 13 + 39 = 56. The factors smaller than 39 add up to 17, which is less than 39, so 39 is called a deficient number.
Real-Life Uses of the Factors of 39
- Packs. Thirty-nine stickers make 3 packs of 13.
- Rows. Thirty-nine chairs fit in 3 rows of 13.
- Sharing. Thirty-nine pencils share evenly only between 3 or 13 people.
Common Factors of 39 With Other Numbers
The factors of 52 are 1, 2, 4, 13, 26 and 52, so 39 and 52 share 1 and 13. The GCF is 13, which simplifies 39/52 to 3/4.
Quick Practice
Which of these are factors of 39: 5, 13 or 7? Only 13. Now try 44 and check it with the calculator.