The highest common factor is found by multiplying all the factors which appear in both lists: So the HCF of 60 and 72 is 2 × 2 × 3 which is 12. The lowest common multiple is found by multiplying all the factors which appear in either list: So the LCM of 60 and 72 is 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 5 which is 360.
What does the Greatest Common Factor help?
The greatest common factor (GCF) of a set of numbers is the largest number that is a factor of all those numbers.
Why is LCM important in math?
In math problems where we pair two objects against each other, the LCM value is useful in optimizing the quantities of the given objects. Also, in computer science, the LCM of numbers helps design encoded messages using cryptography.
How to find the greatest factor and least common factor?
Then, we find the greatest factor that is common to all the numbers. The least common multiple is the smallest multiple shared between two numbers. To find the least common multiple, we list the multiples of each number, and then look for the first number that they have in common. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
How do you calculate the least common multiple?
Then multiply each factor the greatest number of times it occurs in either number. If the same factor occurs more than once in both numbers, you multiply the factor the greatest number of times it occurs. After you’ve calculated a least common multiple, always check to be sure your answer can be divided evenly by both numbers.
Which is the least common number LCM or GCF?
The numbers also share one copy of 3, one copy of 5, and one copy of 7. Then the GCF is 2 × 3 × 5 × 7 = 210. On the other hand, the Least Common Multiple, the LCM, is the smallest (“least”) number that both 2940 and 3150 will divide into.
Which is the greatest factor between two numbers?
The greatest common factor is the greatest factor that can be shared between two or more numbers. To find the greatest common factor, we first list all the factors of each number. Then, we find the greatest factor that is common to all the numbers. The least common multiple is the smallest multiple shared between two numbers.
