LESSON 3: Greatest Common

Factor (GCF)

Subtitle
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of lesson, you should be able to:
● find the factors of a number;
● find the common factors and the greatest common factor (GCF) of
two to three numbers using the following methods: listing,
prime factorization, and continuous division (M4NS-llc-68.1); and
● solve real-life problems involving GCF of 2-3 given numbers
(M5NS-le-70.2).
 Lesson Opener

Ivan has three pieces of string with lengths of

48 m, 80 m, 96 m. He wishes to cut the three
pieces of string into smaller whole meter
pieces of equal length with no remainders.
What is the greatest possible length of each
of the smaller pieces of string?
 Let’s Focus

One way to answer the problem above is to simply list down

all the possible whole meter pieces which each string can be cut
into exactly. For instance, the 48 m string can be cut into 1 m, 2 m,
3 m, 4 m, 6 m, 8 m, 12 m, 16 m, 24 m, and 48 m pieces. The
second string, 80 m, can be cut into 1 m, 2 m, 4 m, 5 m, 8 m, 10
m,16 m, 20 m, 40 m, and 80 m pieces. Finally, the 96 m string can
be cut into 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m, 6 m, 8 m, 12 m, 16 m, 24 m, 32 m,
48 m, and 96 m pieces. The list is arranged in rows below.
 Let’s Focus

48 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 48

80- 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 10 ,16, 20 , 40, 80
96- 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 96
To know if in which lengths of saller pieces can the three strings be
cut into, we take the pieces to all three stings, and this are : 1,2,4,8 and 16. it
means that the longest piece in which the three strings can be cut into is 16 m.
The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 48 are factors of 48.
These are numbers that can exactly divide 48. The factors of 80 are 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ,
8 , 10 ,16, 20 , 40, 80. On the other hand, the factors of 96 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12,
16, 24, 32, 48, 96.
 Let’s Focus

The common factors of 48, 80, and 96 are 1,2,4,8, and 16. The
greatest among the common factors, which is 16, is called the Greatest
Common Factor (GCF) or Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 48, 80,
and 96.
The process used above to find the GCF of 48, 80, and 96 is
called Listing Method. Two other methods in finding the GCF are
Prime Factorization and Decomposition or Continuous Division
Method .
 Prime Factorization Method
To find the GCF of 48, 80, and 96 using the prime factorization
method, simply find the prime factorization of the given numbers-the
product of the prime factors common to all given numbers is their GCF.
That is,
48 = 2x2x2x2 x3
80 = 2x2x2x2 x 5
96 = 2x2x2x2 x3x2
Common Prime Factors: 2x2x2x2 =16
Therefore, the GCF of 48, 80, and 96 is 16.
 Continuous Division Method

True to its name, in using the continuous division

method, we continue dividing the given numbers by a
common prime number until the quotients are relatively
prime. Let’s take a look the process using the same
numbers above.
 Continuous Division Method

2 48 80 96 Divide each number by 2. write the quotient below

the numbers.
2 24 40 48 Divide by 2.
2 12 20 24 Divide by 2.
2 6 10 12 Divide by 2.
3 5 6
 Continuous Division Method

Since 3,5,6 are already relatively prime,

then the GCF of 48, 80, and 96 is the product
of the prime factors used as divisors which is
2x2x2x2 or 16.
LESSON 4: Least Common
Multiple
 Continuous Division Method

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

● find the multiples of a number;
● find the common multiples and least common multiple (LCM) of
two or more numbers using the following methods: listing, prime
factorization, and continuous division (M4NS-Ilc-68.1 and 69.1);
and
● solve real-life problems involving LCM of 2-3 given numbers
(M5NSle-70.2).
 Lesson Opener

WVSU-Himamaylan City Campus has three bells. Bell A

rings every 60 minutes, Bell B every 90 minutes, and
Bell C every 45 minutes. They all ring together at 7:00
a.m. When is the next time that they will all ring together
again?
 Let's Focus

The most logical way to solve the problem is by

listing the time from 7:00 and adding successively 60
minutes or 1 hour for Bell A, 90 minutes for Bell B, and
45 minutes for Bell C until the first common time
emerges. This, however, might take too long to do. The
best option is to solve by finding the Least Common
Multiple of the numbers (in minutes) and convert them to
hours, then add to 7:00.
 Let us first define "multiple". What is multiple or what are
multiples of a number?
Multiples are products of the natural numbers and the given
number. For instance, the multiples of 8 are 8,16,24,32,40 , and so
on. These are derived by multiplying 8 by 1,2,3,4,5 , and so on.
Let us now solve the problem above using the Listing Method.
 Listing Method

Step 1: List the multiples of each number.

60 – 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, …
90 – 90, 180, 270, 360, …
45 – 45, 90, 135, 180, …
Step 2: Find the common multiple of the numbers.
Since 180 is the first multiple common to all
three numbers, then it is the LCM of the numbers.
 Prime Factorization Method
Step 1: Find the prime factorization of the numbers.
60 – 2 x 2 x 3 x 5
90 – 2 x 3 x 5 x3
45 – 3 x 5 x3
Step 2: Multiply the common multiples
2 x 2 x 3 x 5 x 3 = 180
Observe that unlike in GCF where a prime factor has to be common
to all given numbers, for LCM, even if a prime factor is common to only two
numbers, it can still be considered as a common prime factor.
Continuous Division Method

True to its name, in using the Take Note

continuous method, we continue  Two or more
dividing the given numbers by a numbers are said
to be relatively
common prime factor until the prime if they have
quotients are different relatively prime no more common
divisors except 1.
numbers. Let's take a look at the
process using the same numbers above.
Continuous Division Method

Step 1: Divide the numbers by their common prime factor.

3 60 90 45 Divide each number by 3.Write the quotient below the

numbers.
Step 2: Since there is no more common prime factor for all three numbers, then find a common prime
factor for any two numbers. Bring down the number that is not divisible by the prime divisor.
2 20 30 15 Divide by 2. Bring down 15 since it is not divisible by 2.
3 10 15 15 Divide by 3.
5 10 5 5 Divide by 5.

Step 3: The remaining numbers 2,1 , and 1 are now relatively prime. Therefore, the prime factorization
of 60,90 and 45 is the product of the prime divisors and the remaining quotient: 3 x 2 x 3 x 5 x 2=180.