Tutoring: factors (divisors), common factors (common divisors), the greatest common factor, GCF (also called the greatest common divisor, GCD, or the highest common factor, HCF)
If "t" is a factor (divisor) of "a" then among the prime factors of "t" will appear only prime factors that also appear on the prime factorization of "a" and the maximum of their exponents (powers, or multiplicities) is at most equal to those involved in the prime factorization of "a".
For example, 12 is a factor (divisor) of 60:
- 12 = 2 × 2 × 3 = 22 × 3
- 60 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 = 22 × 3 × 5
If "t" is a common factor (divisor) of "a" and "b", then the prime factorization of "t" contains only the common prime factors involved in both the prime factorizations of "a" and "b", by lower or at most by equal powers (exponents, or multiplicities).
For example, 12 is the common factor of 48 and 360. After running both numbers' prime factorizations (factoring them down to prime factors):
- 12 = 22 × 3;
- 48 = 24 × 3;
- 360 = 23 × 32 × 5;
- Please note that 48 and 360 have more factors (divisors): 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24. Among them, 24 is the greatest common factor, GCF (or the greatest common divisor, GCD, or the highest common factor, HCF) of 48 and 360.
The greatest common factor, GCF, is the product of all prime factors involved in both the prime factorizations of "a" and "b", by the lowest powers (multiplicities).
Based on this rule it is calculated the greatest common factor, GCF, (or greatest common divisor GCD, HCF) of several numbers, as shown in the example below:
- 1,260 = 22 × 32;
- 3,024 = 24 × 32 × 7;
- 5,544 = 23 × 32 × 7 × 11;
- Common prime factors are: 2 - its lowest power (multiplicity) is min.(2; 3; 4) = 2; 3 - its lowest power (multiplicity) is min.(2; 2; 2) = 2;
- GCF, GCD (1,260; 3,024; 5,544) = 22 × 32 = 252;