how is GCF and LCM different? im in 4th grade and i tried to understand but my mum said shes not sure so please i need help
GCF = greatest common factor
This is the largest number that goes into two numbers.
Examples:
GCF of 4 and 8 = 4
GCF of 15 and 25 = 5
LCM = least common multiple
This is the smallest multiple of two numbers.
Examples:
LCM of 3 and 5 = 15
LCM of 4 and 10 = 20
Study these sites.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/greatest-common-factor.html
http://www.mathsisfun.com/least-common-multiple.html
thanks the weebsite is fun
You're welcome.
Sure, I can explain! GCF (Greatest Common Factor) and LCM (Least Common Multiple) are related to each other, but they serve different purposes in mathematics.
GCF:
- The GCF is the largest number that divides evenly into two or more numbers.
- It is used to find the largest common factor between two or more numbers.
- For example, let's take two numbers, 12 and 18. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12. The factors of 18 are 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 18. The largest common factor of 12 and 18 is 6, which is the GCF.
LCM:
- The LCM is the smallest number that is a multiple of two or more numbers.
- It is used to find the smallest common multiple between two or more numbers.
- For example, let's take two numbers, 3 and 4. The multiples of 3 are 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, and so on. The multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, and so on. The smallest common multiple of 3 and 4 is 12, which is the LCM.
To find the GCF and LCM of two or more numbers, you can use different methods:
- GCF: One method is to list the factors of each number and find the largest one that appears in the factor lists of all the numbers. Another method is to use prime factorization, where you find the prime factors of each number and take the product of the common prime factors, each raised to the lowest power.
- LCM: One method is to list the multiples of each number until you find the smallest number that appears in the multiple lists of all the numbers. Another method is to use prime factorization, where you find the prime factors of each number and take the product of all the prime factors, each raised to the highest power.
I hope this explanation helps you understand the difference between GCF and LCM!