What are common multiples and least common multiples?

Answer 1

All numbers have multiples. Some numbers have some of the same multiples as other numbers. These are known as common multiples. The smallest of these is known as the least common multiple.

Common multiples of 3 and 4 include 12, 24, 36 and so on. The LCM of 3 and 4 is 12.

Answer 2

All numbers have multiples. Some numbers have some of the same multiples as other numbers. These are known as common multiples.

12 is a multiple of 3

12 is a multiple of 4

12 is a common multiple of 3 and 4

Answer 3

It means that 2 numbers have the same factor. Factors are the numbers you need to multiply to get another number. For example 1,3,5,15 are factors of 15 because 1x15 is 15 and 3x5 is 15.