Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam Practice 2026 – Comprehensive Prep

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What is the sum of the prime factors of 144?

To determine the sum of the prime factors of 144, we first need to identify its prime factorization. The prime factorization of 144 is as follows:

1. Begin by dividing 144 by the smallest prime number, 2.

$ 144 ÷ 2 = 72 $

2. Continue dividing by 2:

$ 72 ÷ 2 = 36 $

$ 36 ÷ 2 = 18 $

$ 18 ÷ 2 = 9 $

3. Now, since 9 is no longer divisible by 2, we move to the next prime number, which is 3:

$ 9 ÷ 3 = 3 $

$ 3 ÷ 3 = 1 $

Now, we can express 144 as the product of its prime factors:

\[ 144 = 2^4 \times 3^2 \]

The distinct prime factors here are 2 and 3. To find the sum of these prime factors, we simply add them together:

\[ 2 + 3 = 5 \]

If we consider that for the purpose of determining unique prime factors, we would actually

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