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Mathematics vocabulary · Numbers and Operations

Greatest common divisor

Meaning in mathematics, with examples

nounCommon term

In mathematics, greatest common divisor means: The largest whole number that divides two or more numbers exactly; the greatest common divisor of 12 and 18 is 6.

In Turkish: en büyük ortak bölen, EBOB

How it is used

Abbreviated GCD. School textbooks also call it the greatest common factor (GCF, US) or the highest common factor (HCF, UK). It is used to simplify fractions and is found by listing factors, by prime factorisation or with the Euclidean algorithm.

Example sentences

  1. Divide both numbers by their greatest common divisor to simplify 24/36.

  2. If the greatest common divisor of two numbers is 1, they are called coprime.

Common collocations

  • greatest common divisor of
  • find the GCD
  • highest common factor
  • Euclidean algorithm
  • least common multipleThe smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more numbers; the least common multiple of 4 and 6 is 12.
  • factorA number or expression that divides another exactly, with no remainder; the factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12.
  • prime numberA whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself, such as 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11.
  • simplifyTo write a fraction or expression in its shortest and clearest form without changing its value, for example writing 6/8 as 3/4.

More terms: Numbers and Operations

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