144 ends in an even number, so we know we can divide it by 2.
144 = 2 × 72
Let's keep going. 72 can be divided by 2 again.
144 = 2 × 2 × 36
And again...
144 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 18
And again!
144 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 9
And 9 equals 3 times 3.
144 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3
Since we have a bunch of numbers multiplying into themselves, we should use exponents to write this.
[tex]\boxed{2^4\times3^2}[/tex]
(The little number above, called an exponent, tells you how many times to multiply the number by itself.)
