What Are LCM and HCF?
What Are LCM and HCF? HCF (Highest Common Factor) Definition: The largest number that divides two or more numbers exactly, without leaving a remainder. Also called GCD (Greatest Common Divisor) 1 2 6 . Example: HCF of 24 and 36 is 12, because 12 is the biggest number that divides both 24 and 36 completely 1 . LCM (Least Common Multiple) Definition: The smallest number that is a multiple of two or more numbers 1 2 6 . Example: LCM of 8 and 16 is 16, because 16 is the smallest number that both 8 and 16 divide into exactly 1 . Why Are LCM and HCF Important? LCM is useful for finding common time intervals, aligning schedules, or adding fractions with different denominators 6 7 . HCF helps in simplifying fractions, dividing things equally, or finding the largest possible group size 6 . How to Find LCM and HCF Methods Listing Method List out all multiples (for LCM) or all factors (for HCF) and find the common one. Prime Factorization Method Break eac...