HCF AND LCM

HCF Definition

The full form of HCF in Mathematics is Highest Common Factor.

As the rules of mathematics dictate, the greatest common divisor or the gcd of two or more positive
integers happens to be the largest positive integer that divides the numbers without leaving a remainder.
For example, take 8 and 12. The H.C.F. of 8 and 12 will be 4 because the highest number that can divide
both 8 and 12 is 4.

HCF = the product of the smallest power of each common factor in the numbers.

LCM Definition

The full form of LCM in Maths is Least Common Multiple.

In arithmetic, the least common multiple or LCM of two numbers say a and b, is denoted as LCM (a,b). And
the LCM is the smallest or least positive integer that is divisible by both a and b. For example, let us take
two positive integers 4 and 6.

Multiples of 4 are: 4,8,12,16,20,24…

Multiples of 6 are: 6,12,18,24….

The common multiples for 4 and 6 are 12,24,36,48…and so on. The least common multiple in that lot
would be 12. Let us now try to find out the LCM of 24 and 15.

LCM of 24 and 15 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 = 120

LCM= Find the product of the greatest power of each prime factor in the number.

HCF and LCM Formula

The formula which involves both HCF and LCM is:

 Product of Two numbers = (HCF of the two numbers) x (LCM of the two numbers)

Note : This relationship is only applicable on two numbers only i.e it is not applicable on more than
two numbers.

Say, A and B are the two numbers, then as per the formula;
A x B = H.C.F.(A, B) x L.C.M.(A, B)

H.C.F. of Two numbers = Product of Two numbers/L.C.M of two numbers

&
L.C.M of two numbers = Product of Two numbers/H.C.F. of Two numbers

HCF AND LCM OF FRACTIONS

 LCM of fractions = LCM of Numerators ÷ HCF of Denominators.

 HCF of fractions = HCF of Numerators ÷ LCM of Denominators.
Some Solved Questions :

1. What is the HCF of 408 and 1032?

Solution:
To find: HCF (408, 1032).
The prime factorization of 408 is 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 17
The prime factorization of 1032 is 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 43
Thus, the product of the prime factors of 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 is 24
Hence, the HCF of 408 and 1032 is 24.
2. Determine the LCM of 4 and 12 using the prime factorization method.

Solution:
To find the LCM of 4 and 12 using the prime factorization method, follow the below steps.
Step 1: Find the prime factorization of given numbers:
The prime factorization of 4 is 2 × 2
The prime factorization of 12 is 2 × 2 × 3.
Step 2: The LCM of given numbers is found by multiplying the product of all factors. (Note: The common
factor is included only once)
Hence, the product of prime factors = 2 × 2 × 3 = 12.
Therefore, the LCM of 4 and 12 is 12
3. What is the LCM of 54 and 60?

Solution:
The prime factorization of 54 is 2 × 3 × 3 × 3.
The prime factorization of 60 is 2 × 2 × 3 × 5.
Thus, the product of prime factors = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 5 = 540
Hence, the LCM of 54 and 60 is 540.
4. Prove that LCM(12, 7) × HCF(12, 7) = Product(12, 7).

Solution:
Given: LCM(12, 7) × HCF(12, 7) = Product(12, 7) …(1)
Finding LCM (12, 7):
The multiples of 7 are 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, ..
The multiples of 12 are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 120, …
Hence, the LCM of 12 and 7 is 84.
Finding HCF (12, 7):
The factors of 7 are 1 and 7.
The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12.
Hence, HCF of 12 and 7 is 1.
Finding Product of 12 and 7:
The product of 12 and 7 = 12 × 7 = 84.
Now, substitute the obtained values in (1), we get
84 × 1 = 84
84 = 84
Hence, LHS = RHS
Therefore, LCM(12, 7) × HCF(12, 7) = Product(12, 7) is proved.
5. Find the LCM of 8, 12 and 18.
Answer:
Using Prime Factorization Method,
8=2x2x2
12 = 2 x 2 x3
18 = 2 x 3 x 3
Remember always consider prime factors that has the maximum count.
LCM(8, 12, 18) = 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 = 72

6. Find the LCM of the fractions 2/5, 4/7 and 6/11.

Solution:
Given fractions: 2/5, 4/7 and 6/11
As we know, the formula to find the LCM of fractions is:
LCM of fractions = LCM of Numerators/HCF of Denominators .. (1)
Thus, the LCM of Numerators = LCM (2, 4, 6) = 12.
HCF of denominators = HCF (5, 7, 11) = 1
Now, substitute the values in (1), we get
LCM of fractions = 12/1 = 12
Hence, the LCM of the fractions 2/5, 4/7 and 6/11 is 12.

7. Can the HCF of two prime numbers be a prime number other than 1? Explain.

Solution
The HCF (Highest Common Factor) of two prime numbers cannot be a prime number other than 1.
Consider the scenario where the HCF of two numbers is a prime number other than 1. Let’s say the HCF
is ‘p’, where ‘p’ is a prime number greater than 1.
 If ‘p’ is the HCF, it means ‘p’ is a common factor of the two numbers.
 However, since ‘p’ is a prime number greater than 1, it cannot be divided by any other number
except 1 and itself.
 This implies that the two numbers can only be divided by ‘p’ and nothing else.
 But this contradicts the definition of HCF because the HCF is supposed to be the largest number that
can exactly divide both of them. If ‘p’ is the HCF, it should be the largest, but it cannot be because it
cannot be divided by any number other than 1 and itself.
Therefore, the HCF of two numbers cannot be a prime number other than 1. It must always be 1 or a
composite number (a number with more than two factors).
8. Sarah has 12 apples, and she wants to arrange them into equal-sized groups. She wants to ensure
that no apples are left over in each group. What is the largest number of apples she can put in each
group?
Answer:
To find the largest number of apples that Sarah can put in each group without any apples left over, we
need to calculate the HCF of the number of apples she has, which is 12.
The HCF of 12 is 12 itself, so Sarah can put 12 apples in each group, and no apples will be left over.
9. Can the LCM of two numbers be zero?
Answer:
No, the LCM of two non-zero numbers cannot be zero. The LCM is defined as the smallest positive
multiple that two numbers have in common. Since it’s the smallest multiple, it must be greater than or
equal to 1.
Mathematically, if you have two non-zero numbers, ‘a’ and ‘b,’ where ‘a’ and ‘b’ are positive integers:
LCM(a, b) > 0
This means that the LCM is always a positive integer and cannot be zero, regardless of the values of ‘a’
and ‘b.’ Zero is not a valid LCM because it does not represent a common multiple of two non-zero
numbers.
10. Banita is making friendship bracelets. She wants to make bracelets that are 8 inches long and 12
inches long. What is the smallest length of string she can use for each bracelet if she doesn’t want to
have any leftover string?
Answer:
To find the smallest length of string that Banita can use for each bracelet without any leftover string, we
need to calculate the LCM of 8 inches and 12 inches.
Prime Factorization Method ,
8=2x2x2
12 = 2 x 2 x 3
LCM(8, 12) = 2 x 2 x 2 x3 = 24
The smallest number that appears in both lists is 24. Hence Banita needs a string that is 24 inches long
for each bracelet to avoid any leftover string.
11. Find the HCF of (15/30 ) and (20/40).
Solution:
HCF of fractions = HCF(numerator)/LCM (denomiantor)
HCF of fractions = HCF(15,20)/LCM(30,40)
HCF of fractions = 5/120
12. Find the LCM of (1/5) and (2/3).
Solution:
LCM of fractions = LCM(numerator)/HCF(denominator)
LCM of fractions = LCM(1,2)/HCF(5,3)
LCM of fractions = 2/1 = 2
13. Archana is preparing dinner plates. She has 60 pieces of momos and 8 rolls. If she wants to make
all the plates identical without any food left over, what is the greatest number of plates Archana can
prepare ?
Solution:
In order for all the plates to look identical with the highest no of plates, we need to find the hcf of 8 rolls
and 60 pieces of momos
HCF (8,60) = 4
Hence Archana can prepare a total of 4 plates
14. A juice seller has three different types of fruit juices: apple juice, orange juice, and grape juice. He
has 403 liters of apple juice, 434 liters of orange juice, and 465 liters of grape juice. What is the
minimum number of identical containers he needs to store each type of juice separately without
mixing them?
Solution:
For the minimum number of containers of equal size, the size of each container must be of the greatest
volume.
To get the greatest volume of each container, we need to find HCF of 403, 434 and 465.
H.C.F (403, 434, 465) = 31 liters
Each container must be of the volume 31 liters.
Number of containers required are = (403/31) + (434/31) + (465/31) = 42
Hence, the minimum number of containers required are 42.
15. Determine the minimum number of students needed to form perfect square groups for a school
activity where they stand in rows of 15, 20, and 25 students each.
Solution:
To find the minimum number of students needed for the school activity to stand in rows of 15, 20, and
25 while forming a perfect square, we must first calculate the least common multiple (LCM) of these
numbers.
LCM(15, 20, 25) = 300
So, ideally, we would need 300 students to meet the divisibility criteria. However, the problem
statements states that this number should be a perfect square.
To achieve this, we can multiply 300 by 3, resulting in 900. Now, 900 is a perfect square (30 × 30).
Hence, the minimum number of students required to form rows of 15, 20, and 25, while also forming a
perfect square, is 900.

Practice Questions(LCM & HCF)

1. HCF and LCM Problems
Q1. If the LCM of three numbers is 180 and their HCF is 6, what are the numbers?
Q2. the HCF of two numbers is 8, and their product is 64. What are the numbers?
Q3. Find the HCF and LCM of (91/37) and (15/64)?
Q4. What smallest value when divided by 36, 24 and 16 leaves remainder in each case?
Q5. Find the smallest value which when divided by 12 leaves a remainder of 10 when divided by 24
leaves a remainder of 22 and when divided by 32 leaves a remainder of 30.
Q6. Find the highest value that will divide 43, 91 and 183 so as to leave the same remainder in each
case.
Q7. If the LCM of 12x3y2 and 18xpy3 is 36x4y3. Find the value of p.
Q8. The sum of LCM and HCF of the two numbers is 1260. If their LCM is 900 more than their HCF, find the
product of two numbers.
Q9. The LCM and HCF of two numbers are equal; the numbers must be ______.
Q10. Two bells toll at an interval of 24 minutes and 36 minutes, respectively. If they tolled together at 9
am, after how many minutes do they toll together again, at the earliest?