factor

Display the prime-factorization of a number

$ factor [number]

$ echo [number] | factor

factor [number]...

The factor command in Linux is a simple utility used to find the prime factors of a given positive integer. It takes one or more integers as input and prints each number along with its prime factors, one factor per line. The factor command primarily serves as a quick and easy tool for educational purposes or for simple prime factorization tasks. It's not particularly suitable for very large numbers as it relies on basic trial division and can become slow.

The factor command is relatively inefficient for factoring large numbers because it uses trial division. There are no options to control algorithm behavior.

To factor the number 12:
factor 12

To factor multiple numbers:
factor 12 36 100

Factor a very large number:
factor 123456789101112 (Can be slow)

The factor command has been a part of Unix-like operating systems for a long time, appearing in early versions of the Unix system. It has remained largely unchanged in its functionality. It's a basic arithmetic utility that has consistently served a simple purpose.

primes(1), bc(1)