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What is the greatest common factor of two or more positive integers?

The greatest common factor (GCF) is the largest positive divisor shared by all of the compared positive integers. It is the maximum value in the set of their common factors.

Conditions

  • At least two positive integers are compared.
  • Positive divisors are compared.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Find all common factors of the given positive integers.
  2. Select the largest number from the set of common factors.
  3. This largest shared divisor is the GCF.

Example

For 12 and 42, the common factors are {1,2,3,6}\{1, 2, 3, 6\}. The largest is 6, so the GCF of 12 and 42 is 6.

Common misconceptions

  • Confusing 'greatest' with 'most numerous' or thinking it refers to the magnitude of the original numbers rather than the factor itself.
  • Believing that the GCF must be a prime number.

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