Given several denominators, what is their least common multiple?
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Given several denominators, what is their least common multiple?
The least common multiple (LCM) of is the smallest positive integer that is divisible by each of these numbers.
Since there are no common factors other than 1, the LCM is simply the product of these numbers:
equals 1287.
The LCM is .
1287
Without calculating, determine whether the quotient in the division exercise is less than 1 or not:
\( 5:6= \)
First check if the numbers share any common factors. Since 9, 11, and 13 are coprime (share no factors except 1), you simply multiply them together!
Use prime factorization! Write each number as a product of primes, then take the highest power of each prime that appears. For example: LCM(12,18) = LCM(2²×3, 2×3²) = 2²×3² = 36.
Since these numbers have no common factors, any common multiple must include all their prime factors. The smallest such number is their product: .
Divide your LCM by each original number. If you get whole numbers every time, your LCM is correct! Try: 1287÷9=143, 1287÷11=117, 1287÷13=99.
For small coprime numbers like these, multiplication is fastest! But for larger numbers, try listing multiples or using the formula: LCM(a,b) = (a×b)÷GCD(a,b).
When adding fractions with denominators 9, 11, and 13, you need a common denominator. The LCM (1287) is the smallest denominator that works for all three fractions!
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