1. The problem is to find the prime factorization of 16. 2. Prime factorization means expressing a number as a product of prime numbers. 3. Start by dividing 16 by the smallest prime number 2: $$16 \div 2 = 8$$ 4. Divide 8 by 2 again: $$8 \div 2 = 4$$ 5. Divide 4 by 2 again: $$4 \div 2 = 2$$ 6. Divide 2 by 2 again: $$2 \div 2 = 1$$ 7. Since we reached 1, the prime factors are all the 2's we divided by. 8. So, the prime factorization of 16 is $$2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 = 2^4$$ 9. Final answer: $$16 = 2^4$$