Tricky prime factor, HCF and LCM questions
Here are some examples of harder questions that, in theory, could appear on
Foundation papers, but are more likely to come up only on Higher papers.
Example 1:
Given that d = 2³ × 7, express 10d as a product of its prime factors.
Solution:
You don’t actually need to find d!
The prime factors of 10 are 2 and 5, so 10d = 2 × 5 × 2³ × 7.
Tidy this up to give 10d = 2⁴ × 5 × 7.
Example 2:
By finding its prime factors, identify the square root of 7056.
Solution:
As a product of its prime factors, 7056 = 2⁴ × 3² × 7².
This can be written as 2²×3×7 × 2²×3×7 or (2²×3×7)²
So the square root of 7056 is 2²×3×7 = 84.
(A square number will always have a repeated set of prime factors.)
Example 3:
Without using a calculator, find the least number by which 1980 can be
multiplied to give a square number, and identify the square root of that number.
Solution:
As in the previous example, for a number to be a square number, it needs a
repeated set of prime factors.
The prime factors of 1980 are 2, 2, 3, 3, 5 and 11.
To give a repeated set we need to multiply by another 5 and another 11
so the least number by which the 1980 can be multiplied is 5 × 11 = 55.
The square root of the resulting square number (which is 1980 × 55 =108900)
will be 2 × 3 × 5 × 11 = 330.
Example 4:
Find the greatest number which divides into 167 and 95 leaving 5 as remainder.
(i.e. Divide either 167 or 95 by this number and the remainder will be 5.)
Solution:
If the remainder is 5 then the number must be a factor of 167 – 5 and of 95 – 5
so the number we’re looking for is the HCF of 162 and 90.
162 = 2 × 3⁴ and 90 = 2 × 3² × 5
so the number is the overlap of these, i.e. 2 × 3² = 18.
Example 5:
Find the smallest number which leaves 5 as a remainder when divided by 95 or
114.
Solution:
The number we’re looking for must be 5 more than the LCM of 95 and 114.
95 = 5 × 19 and 114 = 2 × 3 × 19
so LCM = 2 × 3 × 5 × 19 = 570
Hence the number must be 570 + 5 = 575.
Example 6:
Find a pair of 2-digit numbers with an HCF of 6 and an LCM of 168.
Solution:
The prime factors of 6 are 2 × 3, and of 168 are 2³ × 3 × 7.
The HCF of 2 × 3 (or simply 6) goes in the overlap on the Venn diagram.
Then you need to distribute the remaining 2, 2, and 7 between the exclusive parts
of the circles:
Note, however, that the third option shown above doesn’t work, because you
can’t have the same number in the exclusive parts of both circles; if 2 is in A but
not in B, then it can’t also be in B but not in A! In fact 12 and 84 have an HCF of
12 and an LCM of 84, rather than the 6 and 168 specified in the question.
Of course 6 and 168 aren’t 2-digit numbers, so the only possible solution is 24
and 42.
1. Given that a = 2 × 3² × b, where b is a prime number greater than 10,
express 5ab in terms of b.
2. Use prime factor decomposition to identify
(a) the square root of 69696
(b) the cube root of 74088
3. Write 1008 as the product of prime factors, and hence find the least
number that 1008 needs to be multiplied by to give a square number.
4. Find the smallest square number of which 350 is a factor.
5. Find the largest number that divides by 317 and 227 leaving 2 as
remainder.
6. Find the smallest number which, on 23 being added to it, is exactly divisible
by 32, 36, 48 and 96.
7. The product of two numbers is 2160. If their HCF is 6, what is their LCM?
8. Find a pair of 3-digit numbers with 45 as their HCF and 2970 as their LCM.
9. Two numbers 72 and n have HCF = 12 and LCM = 504. What is n?
[Link] numbers, 42, 63 and x have HCF = 21 and LCM = 630. What are the
four possible values of x?
Answers
1. 5ab = 5 × 2×3²×b × b = 2 × 3² × 5 × b²
2. (a) 2³×3×11 = 264; (b) 2×3×7 = 42
3. 1008 = 2⁴×3²×7; multiply by 7 (to give 7056)
4. 350 = 2×5²×7; multiply by 2 and 7 to get 4900
5. HCF of 315 and 225 = 45
6. Need to find LCM of all these, then minus 23. Can ignore 32 and 48 since
they are factors of 96. LCM of 36 & 96 = 288, and 288 – 23 = 265
7. 360
8. 270 and 495, or 135 and 990
9. 84
10.105, 210, 315, 630