Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Mathematics / Difference Between GCF and LCM

Difference Between GCF and LCM

February 17, 2011 Posted by Olivia

GCF vs LCM

GCF and LCM are two important concepts that are taught in junior mathematics classes. These are important concepts in mathematics that are used even in later classes to solve bigger, tougher questions which makes it imperative to understand what these two terms mean and what the difference between these two are.

GCF

Also called the Greatest Common factor, it refers to the greatest factor that two or more numbers have in common. It is the product of all the prime factors these numbers have in common. Let us see this by an example.

16= 2x2x2x2

24=2x2x2x3

There are three 2’s common to both the numbers, hence the GCF would be 2x2x2=8

LCM

To understand Lowest Common Multiple, we need to know what multiples are. It is a number that is a multiple of 2 or more numbers. For example, if 2 and 3 are the numbers given to us, 0, 6, 12, 18, 24…. are the multiples of these two numbers.

It is clear then that Least Common Multiple is the smallest number (excluding zero) that is a multiple of the two numbers. In this example of course it is 6.

LCM is also known as the smallest integer that can be divided by both the given numbers. Here,

6/2=3

And 6/3=2.

As 6 is divisible by both 2 and 3, it is the LCM of 2 and 3.

The difference between GCF and LCM is self explanatory. While GCF is the largest number shared between the factors of two or more numbers, LCM is the smallest number that is divisible by both (or more) the numbers. To find either the LCM or the GCF of 2 or more numbers, it is necessary to factorize them.

Related posts:

Difference Between Sin and Cos Difference Between Mean and MedianDifference Between Mean and Median Difference Between Dependent and Independent Variables Difference Between Algebra and Trigonometry Difference Between One Way Anova and Two Way Anova
Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Mathematics Tagged With: concepts in mathematics, GCF, Greatest Common factor, LCM, Lowest Common Multiple

About the Author: Olivia

Olivia is a Graduate in Electronic Engineering with HR, Training & Development background and has over 15 years of field experience.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Era and Period

Difference Between Era and Period

Difference Between Complete and Incomplete Antibodies

Difference Between Complete and Incomplete Antibodies

Difference Between HTC Droid Incredible 2 and HTC Thunderbolt

Difference Between Hitler and Mussolini

Difference Between Hitler and Mussolini

Difference Between Fish Oil and Krill Oil

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Lactam and Lactim
  • What is the Difference Between Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine
  • What is the Difference Between HTLV 1 and 2
  • What is the Difference Between Bohr Effect and Haldane Effect
  • What is the Difference Between Oxybenzone and Avobenzone
  • What is the Difference Between Flakiness Index and Elongation Index
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.