How do you find the GCF of 28 and 42?

2 Answers
Jan 10, 2017

GCF(28,42)=color(green)(14)

Explanation:

Method 1: GCF Algorithm
min larr smaller number
max larr larger number
rem larr remainder of integer division: max div min
while rem != 0
color(white)("XX")maxlarrmin
color(white)("XX")minlarrrem
color(white)("XX")rem larr remainder of integer division: max div min
end_while
GCFlarrmin

color(white)("XX")Application with 28 and 42
min larr 28
max larr 42
rem larr 14 (since 42div28=2R14)
since 14 != 0 do the "while"
color(white)("XX")maxlarr28
color(white)("XX")minlarr14
color(white)("XX")remlarr0 (since 28div14=2R0)
loop back to re-test loop condition
since 0=0 continue with instructions following the while loop
GCFlarr14

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Method 2: Collecting Common Prime Factors
Factoring 28
color(white)("XX")28=2xx14=2xx2xx7
Factoring 42
color(white)("XX")42=2xx21=2xx3xx7
Extract common prime factors:
GCF(cancel(2)xx2xx7,cancel(2)xx3xx7)
color(white)("XX")=2xxGCF(2xxcancel(7),3xxcancel(7))
color(white)("XX")=2xx7xxGCF(2,3)
color(white)("XX")=2xx7xx1
color(white)("XX")=14

Jan 11, 2017

14

Explanation:

" "28=2xx14 = color(red)(2)xx2" "xxcolor(red)(7)

ul(" "42=2xx21=color(red)(2)" "xx3xxcolor(red)(7))
"common factors"->color(purple)(color(white)(.)2" "7

So the greatest common factor (GCF) is 2xx7 = 14