Q. What is the least common multiple of 12 and 16 ?lcm(12,16)=
Find Prime Factorization: To find the least common multiple (LCM) of 12 and 16, we first need to find the prime factorization of each number.The prime factorization of 12 is 22×31.The prime factorization of 16 is 24.
Identify Highest Powers: Next, we identify the highest powers of all the prime factors that appear in the factorization of both numbers.For the prime factor 2, the highest power is 24 (from the factorization of 16).For the prime factor 3, the highest power is 31 (from the factorization of 12).
Calculate LCM: We then multiply these highest powers together to find the LCM.LCM(12, 16) = 24×31=16×3=48.