TITLE: Which is the most correct factor tree?
QUESTION [2 upvotes]: I have been working through some factoring problems that include factor trees.
Problem - using a factor tree, express 54 as a product of prime factors.
My answer:
54
2*27
2*3*9
2*3*3*3
Textbook answer:
54
6*9
2*3*3*3
Although they are both correct, I am curious why the textbook excluded using the prime factor of 2 throughout the tree. Is there a rule or convention I am not aware of that made my answer different from the textbook?

REPLY [1 votes]: Both of them is correct. There isn't any rules to factor a number. However, the answer should be correct.
$54 = (2)\times(3)^3$
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