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The Smallest (Non-Zero) Number That Is A Multiple of Two or More Numbers

The least common multiple (LCM) is the smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more numbers. It is found by listing the multiples of the given numbers and identifying the smallest number that is common to all of the lists. For example, the LCM of 3 and 5 is 15, as 15 is the first and smallest number that appears in both the list of multiples of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc.) and the list of multiples of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.). The LCM can be found for any number of numbers by listing the multiples and identifying the first common and smallest number.

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47 views

The Smallest (Non-Zero) Number That Is A Multiple of Two or More Numbers

The least common multiple (LCM) is the smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more numbers. It is found by listing the multiples of the given numbers and identifying the smallest number that is common to all of the lists. For example, the LCM of 3 and 5 is 15, as 15 is the first and smallest number that appears in both the list of multiples of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc.) and the list of multiples of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.). The LCM can be found for any number of numbers by listing the multiples and identifying the first common and smallest number.

Uploaded by

Ana De Guzman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Least Common Multiple

The smallest (non-zero) number that is a multiple of two or more numbers.


Least Common Multiple is made up of the words Least, Common and Multiple:
What is a "Multiple" ?

The multiples of a number are what you get when you multiply it by other
numbers (such as if you multiply it by 1,2,3,4,5, etc). Just like the multiplication
table.
Here are some examples:

The multiples of 3 are: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, etc ...


The multiples of 12 are: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, etc...

What is a "Common Multiple" ?

When you list the multiples of two (or more) numbers, and find the same value in
both lists, then that is acommon multiple of those numbers.
For example, when you write down the multiples of 4 and 5, the common multiples
are those that are found in both lists:
The multiples of 4 are:
4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,...
The multiples of 5 are:
5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,...
Notice that 20 and 40 appear in both lists?
So, the common multiples of 4 and 5 are: 20, 40, (and 60, 80, etc ..., too)

What is the "Least Common Multiple" ?


It is simply the smallest of the common multiples.
In our previous example, the smallest of the common multiples is 20 ...
... so the Least Common Multiple of 4 and 5 is 20.

Finding the Least Common Multiple


It is a really easy thing to do. Just start listing the multiples of the numbers until you get
a match.
Example: Find the least common multiple for 3 and 5:
The multiples of 3 are 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, ...,
and the multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, ..., like this:

As you can see on this number line, the first time the multiples match up is
15. Answer: 15
More than 2 Numbers
You can also find the least common multiple of 3 (or more) numbers.
Example: Find the least common multiple for 4, 6, and 8
Multiples of 4 are: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, ...
Multiples of 6 are: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, ...
Multiples of 8 are: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, ....
So, 24 is the least common multiple (I can't find a smaller one !)
Hint: You can have smaller lists for the bigger numbers.

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