Least Common Multiple (LCM)One good way to find the least common multiple of 2 numbers is to multiply both numbers by 2,3,4,5... and then find the first multiple that appears in both lists. For example, find the least common multiple of 6 and 8:     Multiples of 6: 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 ...     Multiples of 8: 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 ... The first number that appears in both lists is 24. (48 appears also, but it is not 'least'), so 24 is the LCM of 6 and 8. There is an equation for finding the LCM if you know the greatest common factor (GCF) of your 2 numbers. Multiply the two numbers together and divide by their GCF: The LCM of a and b:     LCM (a , b) = a x b / GCF (a , b) For our example of 6 and 8 we have: LCM (6 , 8) = 6 x 8 / GCF (6 , 8)     Since the greatest common factor of 6 and 8 is 2, we have: LCM (6 , 8) = 6 x 8 / 2 = 48/2 = 24 <=== a shorter way! Now, can you find the least common multiple of 10 and 35? |