Highest Common Factor (HCF): What It Is, How To Find It, Some Useful Examples, and Frequently Asked Questions

To find the largest number that evenly divides both numbers, we look for their "highest common factor," or HCF. Sometimes referred to as the "Greatest Common Divisor," the Highest Common Factor (HCF) is the most common factor among a set of numbers.

Multiple methods exist for computing the HCF of a pair of numbers. In order to determine the HCF of two or more numbers, the prime factorization method is often used. Discover the many facets and fascinating qualities of HCF. You can learn the answers to questions like "what is the highest common factor for a group of numbers?" "how can I easily calculate HCF?" "how does HCF relate to LCM?" and "how can I calculate HCF by division method?"

Dissecting the HCF

When given two or more numbers, the HCF (Highest Common Factor) is the largest factor that each of those numbers has in common. The HCF (Highest Common Factor) of two natural numbers x and y is the greatest common divisor of those numbers. Two numbers, 18 and 27, will help us grasp this definition. 1. 3, and 9 are factors of both 18 and 27. The greatest (greatest) of these numbers is 9. Since 18 and 27 have a HCF of 9, Highest Common Factor = 9 [(18, 27)] This idea can be visualized in the following diagram.

Types of HCFs

Using this definition, we can write down the HCF of a few different sets of numbers:

• Considering that the product of 60 and 40 is 20, we have e , HCF (60, 40) = 20
• The product of 100 and 150 is 50, so the HCF is 50. e , HCF (150, 50) = 50
• The greatest common factor (HCF) between 144 and 24 is 24, i e , HCF (144, 24) = 24
• We can find that the HCF of 17 and 89 is 1. e , HCF (17, 89) = 1

Finding the HCF

The greatest common factor can be calculated in a number of different ways. The result of the HCF calculation would be the same regardless of the approach. The HCF of two numbers can be found in three different ways:

• Strategy for calculating HCF by enumerating contributing factors
• Prime factorization to determine HCF
• Calculating HCF via Division

Let's break down each approach and examine some examples.

An Approach to HCF via a List of Factors

Following this procedure, we compile a list of all the numbers' factors and then determine their common factors. Next, we find the factor that is the highest common denominator among those that are shared. Let's take an example to see how this works.

Solve for the HCF of 30 and 42, for instance.

As a solution, we'll run down a list of all the numbers that divide into 30 and 42. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, and 30 make up the factors of 30, while the numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, and 42 make up the factors of 42. One can easily see that the common factors of the numbers 30 and 42 are 1, 2, and 6. Still, 6 tops all other common factors in importance. As a result, the product of 30 and 42 is 6.

Prime-factorization-derived HCF

The following procedures are used to determine the HCF of a set of numbers using the prime factorization method: The following is an example of this technique for your perusal.

• First, determine which of the given numbers is a prime factor of the others.
• Repeatedly multiplying each number by its common prime factors yields the highest common factor (HCF).

Solve for the HCF of 60 and 90, for instance.

We find that 2235 is a prime factor of 60, and that 2335 is a prime factor of 90. Now, multiply the two sets of common prime factors (2, 3, and 5) to get the HCF of 60 and 90. So, the product of the HCFs of 60 and 90 is 30.

Method for Computing HCF by Dividing

In order to determine the HCF of two numbers, division is required. Let's break this down using the steps and example provided below.

• Step 1 of this procedure involves dividing the larger number by the smaller one and looking at the result.
• A second step is to use the previous step's remainder as the new divisor and the previous step's divisor as the new dividend. Then, we divide by 10s once more.
• Three, we keep on long dividing until the remainder is 0. Take note that the final divisor will be the HCF of those two numbers.

The following is an example of how to find the HCF of 198 and 360 by dividing:

Follow these steps to calculate the HCF of the given numbers.

• One, 360 is bigger than 198, so 360 is the larger of the two given numbers.
• As a second step, we'll check the result of dividing 360 by 198. In this case, the difference is 162. Repeat the long division with 198 as the divisor and the remainder (162) as the dividend.
• Third, we'll keep going until the remainder is 0. Given that the HCF of 198 and 360 is 18, that number serves as the final divisor here.

Multiple-Number HCF Calculator

Finding the HCF of a set of numbers can be done in two distinct ways: by "listing factors" or by "prime factorization." On the other hand, in the case of multiple numbers, the division method requires a slight modification. In this lesson, we will learn how to divide three numbers to find their HCF.

Three-Number HCF

Here is how we compute the HCF of a set of three integers: In order to grasp this, let's look at the steps and an example.

• First, determine the greatest and least given numbers and their HCF.
• Find the HCF of the first two numbers and the third number using the method described in the previous step.
• The third step is to use this result to calculate the highest common factor of the three numbers.

Determine the product of 126, 162, and 180 to determine their HCF.

Obtaining the HCF of 126 and 180 is the first step in the solution. Highest Common Factor of 126 and 180 is 18. Then, since the HCF of the first two numbers is 18, we can calculate the HCF of the third number, 162. Using this method, we can find the final HCF of the three numbers.

So, the answer is 18 since the product of 126, 162, and 180 is a perfect square.

Square Root of a Quadruple

Here are the procedures we use to determine the HCF of a set of four numbers:

• One, we'll calculate the HCF of each pair of numbers independently.
• In the next step, we'll take the sum of the HCFs we found in the previous step and find the HCF of that sum.

Common Multiple of Primes

A prime number is a number that can be divided by only 1 and itself, without any other factors being involved. Using the factors, we can determine the HCF of the two primes 2 and 7. To divide 2 by 2 you need 1 and 2; to divide 7 by 7 you need 1 and 7. The only number between 2 and 7 that is not a multiple of itself is 1. This means that the highest common factor (HCF) of any two prime numbers is always 1.

HCF Characteristics

Most of us are aware that the highest common factor (HCF) of two numbers is the product of those numbers. Let's take a look at some of HCF's most salient characteristics:

Below, we list some of the characteristics of HCF.

• The HCF of a set of numbers is the smallest set of numbers that can be divided by any other set of numbers without leaving a remainder
• In mathematics, the highest common factor (HCF) of two or more numbers is a factor of each of those numbers.
• When calculating the HCF of two or more numbers, the result is never greater than any of the input numbers.
• There is never an instance in which the HCF of two or more primes is not 1.

Correlation between Low- and High-Cost Items

If you're given a set of numbers, and you need to find their highest common factor, you can do so by taking their product. It is calculated by multiplying the given numbers by their common prime factors. To contrast, the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of two or more numbers is the smallest number that is a multiple of both numbers.
Let's pretend a and b are the two digits in question. In order to express the relationship between their LCM and HCF, the following formula is provided:

A b = LCM(a,b) + HCF(a,b)

What better way to grasp this connection than with an illustration?

For illustration, let's determine the HCF and LCM of 6 and 8 to see how they're related.

Six and eight have the same HCF (2) and LCM (24), so multiplying them together yields 48. Let's plug those numbers into the formula that shows how the LCM and HCF of two numbers are related to one another. Using the formula LCM (a,b) HCF (a,b) = a b, we get 24 2 = 48 by plugging in the values.

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Commonly Asked Questions About HCF

If you are given two numbers, the HCF (Highest Common Factor) is the greater of the two. This means that 12 is the HCF of 36 because 12 is the highest common factor of both 12 and 36.

What is HC

Methods for determining the HCF of a set of data.

The HCF of two numbers can be found in three different ways:

• In order to calculate HCF, one can use the listing factors method.
• Calculating the HCF through primality testing
• How to Find the HCF by Dividing

The section titled "How to find HCF?" provides a comprehensive explanation of these strategies alongside illustrative examples.

To What Extent Does HCF Have the Following Characteristics?

These are some of HCF's characteristics:

• If you want to find out how to divide any two numbers into the third, find out what their HCF is.
• The highest common factor (HCF) of any two or more numbers is a product of those numbers.
• When calculating the HCF of two or more numbers, the result is always a smaller value than any of the numbers used.
• The highest common factor (HCF) of any two primes is 1.

Method of Division for Finding HCF

The method for computing the HCF of two numbers via long division is outlined below.

• First, we use division to see if there is a positive remainder after dividing the larger number by the smaller one.
• Next, we take the remainder from the previous step and use it as the divisor for the new step, while the divisor from the previous step becomes the dividend for the new step. This is followed by another round of long division.
• Third, we repeat the process of long division until the remainder is 0. It's important to note that the final divisor will be the HCF of those two numbers.

A Comparison of High- and Low-Caliber Media

Finding the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of two or more numbers involves finding the smallest common multiple of those numbers, while finding the Highest Common Factor (HCF) of two or more numbers involves finding the largest common factor of those numbers.

How do the Highest Common Factor and the Least Common Multiple of Two Numbers Relate to One Another?

Least Common Multiple (LCM) Highest Common Factor (HCF) = a b, where a and b are two numbers; this formula expresses the relationship between the LCM and HCF.

Where can I find the HCF of two consecutive natural numbers?

HCF of two consecutive natural numbers is 1. Why? Because no two consecutive numbers share anything in common besides 1. As a result, the highest common factor (HCF) of any two consecutive numbers is 1.

Can you tell me the HCF of two co-prime numbers?

Co-prime numbers are two prime numbers that have only one common factor. Those digits don't have to be prime. Four and seven, as well as eight and fifteen, are examples of co-prime numbers. Highest common factor (HCF) is always 1 for co-prime numbers because there is only 1 such factor.

When given two even numbers in a row, what is the greatest common factor?

Whenever there are two even numbers in a row, their HCF is always 2. It is well-known that the HCF (Highest Common Factor) of a set of numbers is the largest factor in that set. Here are some examples: the HCF of 6 and 8 is 2, the HCF of 14 and 16 is 2, etc.

Discovering the Greatest Common Factor in Three Numbers

The following are the steps taken to determine the HCF of three numbers: To illustrate the process, let's calculate the HCF of 4, 6, and 8.

• Finding the greatest common factor (GCF) between the largest and smallest given numbers is the first step. The highest common factor (HCF) between 4 and 8 is 4.
• Once you have the HCF of the first two numbers, you can move on to Step 2, which is to find the HCF of the third number and the HCF of the first two numbers. Therefore, we must determine the HCF of 4 and 6. In this case, the product of four and six is two, or 4. The product of these numbers is taken as their HCF.
• Third, since the greatest common factor (HCF) of four, six, and eight is 2,

Methods for Computing the Highest Common Factor by Primes

We use the following procedure to determine the HCF of a set of numbers through prime factorization: Let's say we want to determine the HCF of 24, 36.

• One of the first things to do is to determine which numbers are prime. Here, 24's prime factors equal 2223, while 36's prime factors equal 2233.
• Step 2: Multiply by themselves the common prime factors of the two numbers. The factors 2, 2, and 3 all appear here as primes. So, 2 × 2 × 3 = 12
• Third, since 24 and 36 are divisible by 12, the HCF is 12.

What Makes HCF So Valuable

HCF is useful because it can be used to divide something into smaller pieces, assign items to different groups, or set up a specific configuration.