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Math 7 · Mathematics
Numbers · Natural numbers

Multiples, Factors, GCF, and LCM

Before you start, make sure you know: Multiples and factors of a number (Math 6)
Before you start, make sure you know: Prime factorization (Math 6)

Two city buses leave the same stop at 3:00 p.m.: Route 12 every $12$ minutes and Route 18 every $18$ minutes. When will they leave together again? And Mateo has $18$ granola bars and $30$ fruit cups: how many identical snack bags can he make with nothing left over? Both questions are about multiples and factors, two sides of the same coin.

Multiples and factors

Dividing 30 by 5 gives 6 exactly, so 30 is a multiple of 5 and 5 is a factor of 30. 30 ÷ 5 = 6 30 is a multiple of 5 5 is a factor of 30 (and of 6, too: 30 = 5 × 6)

Multiples of a number go on forever. Here are the multiples of $7$: slide the first term and the step to see the pattern.

A number has infinitely many multiples, but only a few factors. Multiples are always greater than or equal to the number. Factors are always less than or equal to it.

Factors come in pairs

Every factor has a partner: $30 \div 5 = 6$, so $5$ and $6$ go together. You can picture each pair as the sides of a rectangle made of $12$ unit squares.

The number 12 drawn as three rectangles: 1 by 12, 2 by 6, and 3 by 4. Their sides are the factors 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12. 1 × 12 2 × 6 3 × 4 3 rectangles → factors 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12

To list all factors of a number, test $1, 2, 3, \dots$ in order and write each pair. Stop when the next factor you would test is already in your list.

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In a video game store, they want to organize a shelf with $30$ games in such a way that all rows have the same number of games and none are left over. Use the…

In a video game store, they want to organize a shelf with $30$ games in such a way that all rows have the same number of games and none are left over. Use the divisibility relationship to complete the following sentences:

  1. a) If they put $5$ games in each row, there will be $6$ rows. Then, $30$ is a ________ of $5$.
  2. b) As the division $30 : 10$ is exact, we say that $10$ is a ________ of $30$.
  3. c) The number $30$ is ________ by $2, 3$ and $5$ at the same time.
Solve
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A content creator likes the duration of his short videos to be a multiple of $9$. If he wants to upload a video that lasts between $40$ and $70$ seconds, what are all…

A content creator likes the duration of his short videos to be a multiple of $9$. If he wants to upload a video that lasts between $40$ and $70$ seconds, what are all the possible durations (in seconds) that he can choose?

Solve
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Look at the following representation of "rectangular numbers" for the number $12$. Each rectangle represents a way of multiplying two numbers to obtain $12$. Based on…

Look at the following representation of "rectangular numbers" for the number $12$. Each rectangle represents a way of multiplying two numbers to obtain $12$.

3 4 6 2 3 × 4 = 12 6 × 2 = 12

Based on the idea that divisors are the sides of these rectangles, write down all the divisors of the number $18$ by drawing or imagining its possible rectangular shapes.

Solve

Divisibility rules

How can you tell whether a number is divisible by another without dividing? Look at its digits.

Checking the number 4,350 with the divisibility rules for 2, 3, and 5. 4,350 by 2: ends in 0 (even) ✓ by 3: 4 + 3 + 5 + 0 = 12, a multiple of 3 ✓ by 5: ends in 0 ✓

The rules are also great for finding missing digits. A palindromic number reads the same forward and backward, like $12321$.

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Apply the rules of divisibility to indicate whether the number $4.350$ is divisible by the following values (answer YES/NO and justify briefly): a) Is it divisible by…

Apply the rules of divisibility to indicate whether the number $4.350$ is divisible by the following values (answer YES/NO and justify briefly):

  1. a) Is it divisible by $2$?
  2. b) Is it divisible by $3$?
  3. c) Is it divisible by $5$?
  4. d) Is it divisible by $10$?
Solve
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In an electronics store, they have received a batch of tablets. The manager knows that the total number of tablets is a four-digit number of the form $4A7B$. To organize…

In an electronics store, they have received a batch of tablets. The manager knows that the total number of tablets is a four-digit number of the form $4A7B$. To organize the inventory, he needs the number to meet the following conditions:

  • It must be divisible by $5$ and by $2$ at the same time.

  • It must be a multiple of $9$.

Determine all the possible values of $A$ and $B$ so that the manager can organize his inventory.

Solve
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In a cybersecurity agency, a programmer needs to create a five-digit access code. The number, which we will call $N$, must simultaneously meet the following divisibility…

In a cybersecurity agency, a programmer needs to create a five-digit access code. The number, which we will call $N$, must simultaneously meet the following divisibility conditions:

  • It is a palindromic number (it reads the same from left to right as from right to left).

  • The ones digit is the first even prime number.

  • It is divisible by $3$, by $4$ and by $11$.

What is the value of this code $N$ if exactly three different digits appear in it?

PALINDROMIC a b c b a Divisible by 3, 4 and 11 First even prime
Solve

Primes, composites, and prime factorization

Primes have only 1 and themselves as factors; composites like 21 can be taken apart into 3 times 7. primes 13, 17, 29, 37 only 1 and itself composite 21 = 3 · 7 can be taken apart

To test a number, try the small primes $2, 3, 5, 7, \dots$ as factors. You can stop when the square of the prime you are testing is bigger than the number. The primes up to $50$ are $2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47$. Notice that $2$ is the only even prime.

Every composite number can be broken down into a product of primes, and that prime factorization is unique. A factor tree does the job: split the number into any two factors, then keep splitting until every branch ends in a prime.

Factor tree of 24: 24 splits into 6 and 4, then 6 into 2 and 3 and 4 into 2 and 2, giving 24 = 2 cubed times 3. 24 6 4 2 3 2 2 24 = 2 · 2 · 2 · 3 = 2³ · 3
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Classify the following numbers from the list into prime or composite. Remember that composite numbers can be "taken apart" as the product of other smaller numbers: $$13,…

Classify the following numbers from the list into prime or composite. Remember that composite numbers can be "taken apart" as the product of other smaller numbers:

$$13, 21, 29, 33, 37, 45$$

Explain why you have chosen the number $21$ as composite by indicating which numbers it can be divided by in addition to $1$ and itself.

Solve
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Complete the following "factor tree" to find the prime factorization of the number $60$. Once completed, write the final factorization using powers:…

Complete the following "factor tree" to find the prime factorization of the number $60$.

? ? ? ? 6 10 60

Once completed, write the final factorization using powers: $60 = 2^{\dots} \cdot \dots \cdot \dots$

Solve

Using the factorization: factors and how many there are

Once you have a prime factorization, you can answer questions about factors without ever multiplying it out.

Here is $12 = 2^2 \cdot 3$. There are $3$ choices for the power of $2$ and $2$ choices for the power of $3$, so $3 \times 2 = 6$ factors.

A grid multiplying the powers of 2 (1, 2, 4) by the powers of 3 (1, 3) to list all six factors of 12. 3⁰ = 1 3¹ = 3 2⁰ = 1 2¹ = 2 2² = 4 1 3 2 6 4 12 3 × 2 = 6 factors of 12

This also tells you how many rectangles a number can make. Each pair of factors is one rectangle. A number with an even number of factors makes half that many rectangles. A perfect square has an odd number of factors, because the middle one pairs with itself (a square), so it makes one more than half.

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Without calculating the numerical value of the number $N$, whose prime factorization is $N = 2^3 \cdot 3^2 \cdot 5$, answer the following questions with reasoning: a) Is…

Without calculating the numerical value of the number $N$, whose prime factorization is $N = 2^3 \cdot 3^2 \cdot 5$, answer the following questions with reasoning:

  1. a) Is $N$ a multiple of $12$?
  2. b) Is $15$ a divisor of $N$?
  3. c) How many divisors does the number $N$ have in total? (Use the formula based on the exponents).
Solve
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Natural numbers can be represented by rectangles according to their divisors. For example, the number $12$ can be represented as a rectangle of $3 \times 4$ or…

Natural numbers can be represented by rectangles according to their divisors. For example, the number $12$ can be represented as a rectangle of $3 \times 4$ or $2 \times 6$.

Look at the following drawing and determine which number it is, knowing that it is the smallest number that can form exactly four different rectangles, one of which is a square as in the diagram (considering that a square is a special type of rectangle and that the base $1 \times n$ also counts).

n 1 N = 1 × n b a N = a × b d c N = c × d e e N = e²
Solve
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A natural number is called "special" if its prime factorization is of the form $2^a \cdot 3^b$ and it has exactly $10$ natural factors. Determine all the possible…

A natural number is called "special" if its prime factorization is of the form $2^a \cdot 3^b$ and it has exactly $10$ natural factors.

Determine all the possible "special" numbers that meet this condition.

N = 2ᵃ · 3ᵇ Factor condition (a+1) · (b+1) = 10 1 · 10 a=0, b=9 N = 3⁹ = 19683 2 · 5 a=1, b=4 N = 2¹·3⁴ = 162 5 · 2 a=4, b=1 N = 2⁴·3¹ = 48 10 · 1 a=9, b=0 N = 2⁹ = 512
Solve

Greatest common factor (GCF)

Some problems write the GCF as m.c.d. or call it the "highest common factor": it is the same thing. The same goes for m.c.m. and "lowest common multiple", which are the LCM that we meet in a few sections.

Method 1: list the factors. Write the factors of each number and pick the biggest one they share.

Venn diagram of the factors of 18 and of 30. The common factors are 1, 2, 3, and 6, and the greatest is 6. 9 18 1 2 3 6 5 10 15 30 factors of 18 factors of 30

Method 2: prime factorization. For big numbers, factor each one and take every prime they share, each with its smallest exponent.

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Emma has $24$ red stickers and $36$ blue stickers. She wants to make identical surprise envelopes for her friends, so that each envelope has the same number of stickers…

Emma has $24$ red stickers and $36$ blue stickers. She wants to make identical surprise envelopes for her friends, so that each envelope has the same number of stickers of each color and none are left over.

  1. a) What is the maximum number of envelopes she can prepare? (Calculate the $m.c.d.$).
  2. b) How many stickers of each color will there be in each of those envelopes?
Solve
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An e-sports club wants to organize a charity tournament. They have $120$ blue T-shirts, $180$ red T-shirts and $210$ white T-shirts. They want to prepare gift backpacks…

An e-sports club wants to organize a charity tournament. They have $120$ blue T-shirts, $180$ red T-shirts and $210$ white T-shirts. They want to prepare gift backpacks containing the same number of T-shirts of each color, distributing all the ones they have and without mixing colors inside each individual package, but maximizing the number of T-shirts per backpack.

  1. a) What is the maximum number of T-shirts that can be in each backpack?
  2. b) How many backpacks of each color will be obtained?
120 blue n ? backpacks 180 red n ? backpacks 210 white n ? backpacks Same MAXIMUM amount per backpack
Solve

Cutting and tiling with the GCF

To cover a rectangular floor with the largest square tiles without cutting any, the side of the tile must divide both the length and the width, and it should be as big as possible. So the side is the GCF of the two lengths.

A 9.6 ft by 7.2 ft floor covered by 12 square tiles of side 2.4 ft, 4 across and 3 down. 9.6 ft 7.2 ft each tile is 2.4 ft by 2.4 ft

Two tricks make this easy:

  • Decimals: switch to a smaller unit so the lengths become whole numbers (for example, tenths of a foot, or centimeters).

  • Units: do all the GCF work in the units you were given, and convert only at the end.

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The floor of a rectangular garage $12,6$ feet long by $4,2$ feet wide is to be paved with the largest possible square tiles. The builder says he does not want to cut any…

The floor of a rectangular garage $12,6$ feet long by $4,2$ feet wide is to be paved with the largest possible square tiles. The builder says he does not want to cut any tiles.

  1. a) What must the dimensions of each tile be? (Express the result in inches).
  2. b) How many tiles will be needed in total to cover the whole floor?
Solve
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A carpenter has three strips of precious wood measuring $180\text{ cm}$, $252\text{ cm}$ and $420\text{ cm}$. They want to cut them into equal pieces of the greatest…

A carpenter has three strips of precious wood measuring $180\text{ cm}$, $252\text{ cm}$ and $420\text{ cm}$. They want to cut them into equal pieces of the greatest possible length to make mirror frames, so that no wood is left over from any strip.

  1. How long must each piece be?

  2. How many frames will they be able to make if they need exactly $4$ pieces for each frame?

Solve
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We want to tile the floor of a rectangular room $12,6\text{ meters}$ long and $7,2\text{ meters}$ wide with square tiles of the largest possible size, without having to…

We want to tile the floor of a rectangular room $12,6\text{ meters}$ long and $7,2\text{ meters}$ wide with square tiles of the largest possible size, without having to cut any.

  1. What must the side of each tile be, expressed in inches?

  2. If each tile costs $\$8,50\text{ \$}$ and the necessary tile adhesive costs $\$2,25\text{ \$}$ for each square foot of surface, what will be the total budget for the materials for the room's floor?

Area to tile x 12.6 ft 7.2 ft x
Solve

Least common multiple (LCM)

Two timelines: Route 12 buses at 12, 24, and 36 minutes and Route 18 buses at 18 and 36 minutes. They meet at 36 minutes, the LCM of 12 and 18. Route 12: every 12 min Route 18: every 18 min 12 18 12 24 36 18 36 together!

Method 1: list the multiples of each number until you find the first one they share.

Method 2: prime factorization. Factor each number and take every prime that appears, each with its greatest exponent.

For the buses, in $2$ hours ($120$ minutes) the buses are together at $36, 72,$ and $108$ minutes after $3{:}00$, which is $3$ times.

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Two alarm clocks ring at different intervals. The first rings every $15$ minutes and the second every $20$ minutes. If they have just coincided right now at $08:00$ in…

Two alarm clocks ring at different intervals. The first rings every $15$ minutes and the second every $20$ minutes. If they have just coincided right now at $08:00$ in the morning:

  1. a) In how many minutes will they ring together again for the first time? (Calculate the $m.c.m.$).
  2. b) At what exact time will they coincide again?
Solve
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Three content creators on a streaming platform upload videos with different frequencies: The first uploads a video every $18$ hours. The second uploads a video every…

Three content creators on a streaming platform upload videos with different frequencies:

  • The first uploads a video every $18$ hours.

  • The second uploads a video every $24$ hours.

  • The third uploads a video every $2$ days.

If all three have coincided in uploading a video today, Monday, at $09:00$ a.m., what day and at what time will all three coincide again for the first time?

Solve
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In a logistics warehouse, the shelves are numbered from $1$ to $100$. A worker must place security labels following this pattern: Place an orange label on all shelves…

In a logistics warehouse, the shelves are numbered from $1$ to $100$. A worker must place security labels following this pattern:

  • Place an orange label on all shelves that are multiples of $4$.

  • Place a white label on all shelves that are multiples of $6$.

How many shelves will have both labels at the same time? State the numbers of the first three shelves that will have both colors.

Solve

Tougher LCM and GCF problems

Three numbers and clock arithmetic

The factorization method works for any number of values. Just convert everything to the same unit first.

Leftovers

If a count leaves the same remainder $r$ when grouped by different sizes, then the count minus $r$ is a common multiple of those sizes.

Unknown values and time windows

If you want to know how many times events meet within a time period, divide the period by the LCM and keep the whole number part. If an unknown $x$ is added to a group and the LCM does not change, then $x$ must be a factor of the LCM. For example, $\text{LCM}(4, 6) = 12$. Adding $3$ (a factor of $12$) keeps the LCM at $12$, but adding $5$ makes it $60$.

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Three elite athletes are training on a circular track. The first takes $84\text{ seconds}$ to complete one lap, the second takes $96\text{ seconds}$ and the third…

Three elite athletes are training on a circular track. The first takes $84\text{ seconds}$ to complete one lap, the second takes $96\text{ seconds}$ and the third $120\text{ seconds}$. If all three start together from the finish line at $9:00$ in the morning:

  1. At what exact time will the three coincide again for the first time at the finish line?

  2. How many laps will each of them have completed at that moment?

⏱ 9:00 AM FINISH 84s 96s 120s
Solve
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Two cargo ships leave the port of Miami. The ship Levante* leaves every $24$ days and the ship Poniente* leaves every $35$ days. On January $1$ they coincided in the…

Two cargo ships leave the port of Miami. The ship Levante leaves every $24$ days and the ship Poniente leaves every $35$ days. On January $1$ they coincided in the port.

  1. How many times will they coincide again in the port throughout a calendar year (consider $365$ days)?

  2. If a third ship, the Tramontana, were to leave every certain number of days $x$, and it is known that the first time all three coincide is after $840$ days, what is the smallest possible value for $x$ (where $x > 1$)?

Solve
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A logistics warehouse is organizing boxes of robotics kits. They have between $700$ and $900$ sensors. If they pack them in boxes of $12$, they have $7$ left over. If…

A logistics warehouse is organizing boxes of robotics kits. They have between $700$ and $900$ sensors. If they pack them in boxes of $12$, they have $7$ left over. If they pack them in boxes of $15$, they also have $7$ left over. And if they pack them in boxes of $18$, they again have $7$ sensors left over. Exactly how many sensors do they have in the warehouse?

Solve

The GCF and LCM are connected

The numbers 12 and 18 written as prime powers. The GCF uses the smaller powers and the LCM uses the bigger powers, and 6 times 36 equals 12 times 18. 12 = 2² · 3 18 = 2 · 3² GCF: smaller powers → 2 · 3 = 6 LCM: bigger powers → 2² · 3² = 36 6 × 36 = 216 = 12 × 18

Here is a classic puzzle: find the numbers when you know the GCF and the product. If $\text{GCF}(a, b) = g$, then $a = g \cdot x$ and $b = g \cdot y$ where $x$ and $y$ share no common factor (otherwise the GCF would be bigger).

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Two natural numbers $a$ and $b$ are such that their product is $a \cdot b = 1512$. It is known that their highest common factor is $m.c.d.(a, b) = 6$. Using the property…

Two natural numbers $a$ and $b$ are such that their product is $a \cdot b = 1512$. It is known that their highest common factor is $m.c.d.(a, b) = 6$.

Using the property that relates the product of two numbers to their $m.c.d.$ and their $m.c.m.$, calculate the lowest common multiple of these numbers.

Solve
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Find two natural numbers, $a$ and $b$, knowing that their greatest common factor is $m.c.d.(a, b) = 15$ and that their product is $a \cdot b = 6750$. Keep in mind that…

Find two natural numbers, $a$ and $b$, knowing that their greatest common factor is $m.c.d.(a, b) = 15$ and that their product is $a \cdot b = 6750$. Keep in mind that neither of the two numbers can be $15$ itself. Is there more than one possible solution? Justify your answer.

Solve

Back to the start: the two buses leave together again after $\text{LCM}(12, 18) = 36$ minutes, at $3:36$ p.m. And Mateo can make $\text{GCF}(18, 30) = 6$ identical snack bags, each with $3$ granola bars and $5$ fruit cups.

Summary

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