Ramblings on finding least common multiples

and highest common factors

Lee Williams
September 2015

Chapter 1
Introduction (aka why so much
text!!!)
Hi, I wanted to take this opportunity to make a document in LATEXso its a
bit more verbose than you probably need, this way I not only get to explain
what I do to calculate the things we are talking about on the group but also
learn about the typesetting software I think I will be using for MST124 as I
find typing formulae in Word rather tiresome.

1.1

Some terms we need to know

We will note some important terms first:

We know that the highest common factor (HCF) of
two whole numbers in the largest whole number which is
a factor of both.
The least common multiple (LCM) of two whole numbers is the smallest whole number which is a multiple of
both.
3

1.2

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION (AKA WHY SO MUCH TEXT!!!)

Its not so bad...

Sometimes - normally with smaller numbers - we can calculate what the

LCM and HCF are given two numbers by simply writing out the multiples
and factors respectively. For example Take the numbers 12 and 15:
Factors of 12 are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12. We know that for 15 the factors are: 1,
3, 5, 15. We know, therefore, that the HCF of 12 and 15 is 3 The same for
LCM, we can obtain it by writing out multiples: Multiples of 12 are 12, 24,
36, 48, 60, 72, ... for 15 we know that the multiples are: 15, 30, 45, 60, 75,...
we see from doing this that 60 is a common multiple (one shared by both
the number 12 and 15) and that there are no common multiples before 60.

Chapter 2
That said, what about larger
numbers?
If I dont find the LCM / HCF automagically popping into my head I use
the following methods:-

2.1

Prime Numbers

Whilst we have room Ill just put this reminder here that the prime numbers
less than 50 are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47

2.2

So the real deal of why this document

exists:

Given the sample numbers 90 and 175.

5

2.3

CHAPTER 2. THAT SAID, WHAT ABOUT LARGER NUMBERS?

Calculate our numbers as a product of

prime factors

The first step whether we want the HCF or the LCM is to write the numbers
as the product of prime numbers. To do this we divide the number by the
smallest prime number we can - the answer has to be a natural number,
we keep dividing the answer till we are left with a prime number. We then
gather up all the prime numbers weve used and write the original numbers
as a product of the prime numbers:
So, taking 90, if 90 2 = 45, 45 2 = 22.5 so we cannot use this, lets try
the next smallest, 45 3 = 15, as 15 isnt prime we continue on - 15 2
is not a natural number so lets try 15 3 which equals 5 and we can stop
here because 5 is a prime number. We gather up all the prime numbers we
used and the remaining prime number we were left with (5 in our case) these
numbers are used to write the original 90 as a product of its prime factors
thus:
90 = 2 3 3 5
So well do the above procedure on 175 to end with:
175 = 5 5 7

2.4

Align our calculations

To make the following stage easier we write both of those so that each new
prime factor begins in the same place e.g.:

90 = 2 3 3 5
175 =
557

2.5. HIGHEST COMMON FACTOR

2.5

Highest common factor

To find the highest common factor we multiply all the factors which appear
in both lists (but we only include repetitions once):
90 = 2 3 3 5
175 =
557
5

So the Highest common factor for 90 and 175 is 5.

2.6

Least common multiple

To find the least common multiple we multiply all the factors which appear
in either of the lists (but we only include repetitions once):
90 = 2 3 3 5
175 =
557
233557

Which means our LCM is:

2 3 3 5 5 7 = 3150

The least common multiple is 3150.