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The Abbreviation LCM Stands For 'Le

The document defines the least common multiple (LCM) as the lowest number that is a multiple of two or more numbers. It then provides examples of finding the LCM of 2 and 5 by listing their multiples and identifying the smallest common multiple, which is 10. Finally, it outlines three methods for calculating LCM: the listing method, prime factorization method, and division method, explaining the listing method with an example of finding the LCM of 4 and 5.

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Divyam Chawda
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114 views1 page

The Abbreviation LCM Stands For 'Le

The document defines the least common multiple (LCM) as the lowest number that is a multiple of two or more numbers. It then provides examples of finding the LCM of 2 and 5 by listing their multiples and identifying the smallest common multiple, which is 10. Finally, it outlines three methods for calculating LCM: the listing method, prime factorization method, and division method, explaining the listing method with an example of finding the LCM of 4 and 5.

Uploaded by

Divyam Chawda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The abbreviation LCM stands for 'Least Common Multiple' or the Lowest Common

Multiple. The least common multiple (LCM) of two numbers is the lowest possible
number that can be divisible by both numbers. It can be calculated for two or more
numbers as well. There are different methods to find the LCM of a given set of
numbers. One of the quickest ways to find the LCM of two numbers is to use the
prime factorization of each number and then the product of the highest powers of
the common prime factors will be the LCM of those numbers. Let us learn how to find
the lowest common multiples of numbers on this page.

What is Least Common Multiple (LCM)?


The least common multiple is also known as LCM (or) the lowest common multiple in
math. The least common multiple of two or more numbers is the smallest number among
all common multiples of the given numbers. Let us take two numbers, 2 and 5. Each
will have its own set of multiples.

Multiples of 2 are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and so on.
Multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on.
Now, let us represent these multiples on the number line and circle the common
multiples.

Least Common Multiples of 2 and 5

Thus, the common multiples of 2 and 5 are 10, 20, and so on. The smallest number
among 10, 20, and so on is 10. So the least common multiple of 2 and 5 is 10. It
can be written as LCM (2, 5) = 10.

How to Find LCM?


LCM of numbers can be calculated using various methods. Let us see how to find the
lowest common multiple (LCM) using the 3 methods given below. Each method is
explained below with some examples.

LCM by Listing Method


LCM by Prime Factorization Method
LCM using Division Method
LCM by Listing Method
We can find out the common multiples of two or more numbers by listing their
multiples. Out of these common multiples, the least common multiple is considered
and the LCM of two given numbers can thus be calculated. To calculate the LCM of
the two numbers A and B by the listing method, we use the steps given below:

Step 1: List the first few multiples of A and B.


Step 2: Mark the common multiples from the multiples of both numbers.
Step 3: Select the smallest common multiple. That lowest common multiple is the LCM
of the two numbers.
Example: Find the least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 5.

Solution: The first few multiples of 4 are: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36,
40, ...

And the first few multiples of 5 are: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, ...

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