Because the LCM has to be a multiple of both numbers. A number can't have a multiple smaller than itself.
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This is because 0 is not a multiple of any number
ex: zero does not go into 56 or 24
It can, but only if the two numbers don't have any common factors other than 1. The LCM of 4 and 9 is 36.
The concepts of GCF and LCM are restricted to positive integers. Since zero is a multiple of every number, it would be the answer to every LCM problem, rendering the concept meaningless.
The product of the GCF and LCM is equal to the product of the original two numbers.
The product of the GCF and the LCM is the same as the product of the original two numbers. Divide the product of the original numbers by the GCF. The result will be the LCM.
The LCM of two numbers is one of the numbers when one of the numbers is a multiple of the other. The LCM of two numbers is the product of the numbers when they are relatively prime. In all other cases (like consecutive even numbers that aren't 2 and 4) the LCM is as you describe.
If the GCF of a given pair of numbers is 1, the LCM will be equal to their product. If the GCF is greater than 1, the LCM will be less than their product. Or, stated another way, if the two numbers have no common prime factors, their LCM will be their product.
Any two that are relatively prime.