HCF or
GCF
|
The
HCF
or highest common factor of two or more numbers is the highest number that
can divide exactly into each number without leaving a remainder.
In the example below, the numbers 120 and 72 can both be divided exactly by:
2,3,4,6,8,12, and 24. Since 24 is the largest of these numbers, it is called
the HCF.
(or GCF - Greatest Common Factor).
To
find the HCF
we must :
(i) Find the prime factorization of each number. (see previous topic).
(ii) Select the factors common to all the numbers.
(iii) Find the product of these common factors.
|
|