📘 LESSON: Factors, Multiples, HCF & LCM
📝 Notes for Students
1. Factors
A factor of a number is a whole number that divides into it exactly, with no
remainder.
Example: Factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 because all these numbers divide 12
without leaving a remainder.
Every number has at least two factors: 1 and itself.
Factors are always smaller than or equal to the number.
2. Multiples
A multiple of a number is what you get when you multiply it by other whole
numbers.
Example: Multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, …
Multiples go on forever.
Think of multiples as the “times table” of a number.
3. Highest Common Factor (HCF)
The HCF is the biggest factor that two or more numbers have in common.
Example:
Factors of 18 = 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18
Factors of 24 = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24
Common factors = 1, 2, 3, 6
HCF = 6
4. Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)
The LCM is the smallest multiple that two or more numbers have in common.
Example:
Multiples of 4 = 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, …
Multiples of 6 = 6, 12, 18, 24, …
Common multiples = 12, 24, 36, …
LCM = 12
5. Prime Factorisation (Shortcut for HCF & LCM)
Any number can be written as a product of prime numbers. This is called prime
factorisation.
Example:
36 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 = 2² × 3²
We use prime factorisation to quickly find HCF and LCM.
🧮 Worked Examples
Example 1: Factors
Find the factors of 20.
👉 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20
Example 2: Multiples
List the first 6 multiples of 7.
👉 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42
Example 3: HCF by listing factors
Find the HCF of 12 and 18.
👉 Factors of 12 = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
👉 Factors of 18 = 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18
👉 Common factors = 1, 2, 3, 6
👉 HCF = 6
Example 4: LCM by listing multiples
Find the LCM of 8 and 12.
👉 Multiples of 8 = 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, …
👉 Multiples of 12 = 12, 24, 36, 48, …
👉 Common multiples = 24, 48, …
👉 LCM = 24
Example 5: HCF by prime factorisation
Find the HCF of 36 and 48.
👉 36 = 2² × 3²
👉 48 = 2⁴ × 3
👉 Common factors = 2² × 3 = 4 × 3 = 12
👉 HCF = 12
Example 6: LCM by prime factorisation
Find the LCM of 36 and 48.
👉 36 = 2² × 3²
👉 48 = 2⁴ × 3
👉 Take the highest powers → 2⁴ × 3² = 16 × 9 = 144
👉 LCM = 144
✍🏽 Practice Questions (Class Exercise)
1. Write down all factors of 30.
2. List the first 5 multiples of 9.
3. Find the HCF of 16 and 20.
4. Find the HCF of 28 and 42 using prime factorisation.
5. Find the LCM of 9 and 12.
6. Find the LCM of 15 and 25 using prime factorisation.
7. Find the HCF and LCM of 18 and 30.
📚 Homework
1. Write down all factors of 45.
2. Write the first 6 multiples of 11.
3. Find the HCF of 24 and 36.
4. Find the HCF of 56 and 84 using prime factorisation.
5. Find the LCM of 10 and 15.
6. Find the LCM of 8, 12 and 20.
7. Challenge 🚀: The LCM of two numbers is 72 and their HCF is 6. If one number is 18,
what is the other number?