Hello! Today we'll learn about LCM and HCF. LCM stands for Least Common Multiple, and HCF stands for Highest Common Factor. Let's start with LCM using numbers 6 and 8. We list their multiples and find the smallest number that appears in both lists.
Now let's learn about HCF. HCF means Highest Common Factor. Factors are numbers that divide into another number exactly, with no remainder. For 6, the factors are 1, 2, 3, and 6. For 8, the factors are 1, 2, 4, and 8. The common factors are 1 and 2. The highest of these is 2, so HCF equals 2.
Let's see how LCM and HCF work in real life! For LCM: imagine Bus A comes every 6 minutes and Bus B comes every 8 minutes. To find when they meet again, we need the LCM of 6 and 8, which is 24 minutes. For HCF: if you have 12 apples and 8 oranges, and want to make groups with the same number of each fruit, the biggest group size is the HCF of 12 and 8, which is 4.
Let's practice the step-by-step method with 12 and 18. First, for LCM: we list multiples of 12 which are 12, 24, 36, 48, and multiples of 18 which are 18, 36, 54, 72. The smallest common multiple is 36, so LCM equals 36. Next, for HCF: factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, and factors of 18 are 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18. The common factors are 1, 2, 3, 6, and the largest is 6, so HCF equals 6.
Let's summarize what we learned today! LCM means Least Common Multiple - we find the smallest number that both numbers divide into. HCF means Highest Common Factor - we find the largest number that divides into both numbers. Here's a memory tip: LCM means Look for Common Multiples, and HCF means Hunt for Common Factors. For example, with 4 and 6, the LCM is 12 and the HCF is 2. Great job learning about LCM and HCF today!