Factors & Multiples Practice
Practise telling factors from multiples — two ideas that are easy to mix up but simple once they click.
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Factors vs. multiples
These two words describe the same relationship from opposite ends. If 6 × 4 = 24, then 6 and 4 are factors of 24, and 24 is a multiple of both. Factors divide into a number; multiples are what you get from a number.
- Factor: divides the number exactly, leaving no remainder.
- Multiple: the number times any whole number (the times table of it).
- Quick test: A is a factor of B — and B is a multiple of A — whenever B ÷ A has no remainder.
Worked examples
Tips & common mistakes
The mix-up is almost always the direction. Factors are smaller (they fit inside the number); multiples are bigger (they’re built from it). Both come down to the same check: does it divide evenly? Tap Yes or No.
- Swapping the two — the smaller number is the factor, the bigger one the multiple.
- Forgetting that every number is a factor and a multiple of itself.
- Thinking 1 isn’t a factor — 1 is a factor of every number.
Frequently asked questions
What is a factor?
A number that divides another exactly, with no remainder. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12.
What is a multiple?
The result of multiplying a number by a whole number. Multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on — its times table.
What’s the difference?
Factors divide into a number (they’re smaller); multiples are built from it (they’re bigger). 4 is a factor of 12; 12 is a multiple of 4.
How do I tell quickly?
Divide. If B ÷ A has no remainder, then A is a factor of B and B is a multiple of A.
What grade is this?
Factors and multiples are introduced in grade 4 and used through grade 6 in fractions and number theory.