Least common multiple of 8 and 18?

Answer 1

To find the least common multiple of two numbers, the first step is to break them down into their prime factors. In this case:

8 = 2x2x2

18 = 2x3x3

The second step is to identify common prime factors. In this case both numbers have a 2 as a prime factor, so we can discard on of these. Take all the other prime factors (2, 2, 2, 3 and 3) and multiply them together for the lcm:

2x2x2x3x3 = 72.

Thus the least common multiple of 8 and 18 is 72.