Описание тега prime-factoring
The decomposition of composite numbers into a unique list of prime numbers that, when multiplied together, equal that number.
Each positive integer has a unique prime factorization, that is a unique list of prime numbers that, when multiplied together, equal that number.
For example, the prime factorization of the composite number 1518 is 2 x 3 x 11 x 23. The prime factorization of any prime is that prime itself, and the prime factorization of 1 is the empty product.
While multiplying many large primes is easy, the reverse operation -- i.e. prime factorization -- is computationally expensive. This fact is used in public key cryptography, such as RSA, which would be rendered insecure if an efficient prime factorization algorithm were to be found.