Question

What is the LCM of 12 and 18?

• A. 24
• B. 36
• C. 48
• D. 72

Hint:

For LCM, use prime factorization and take the highest power of each prime.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The least common multiple (LCM) of two numbers is the smallest number that is a multiple of both numbers. To find the LCM of 12 and 18, we can follow these steps:

1. Write down the prime factorization of each number.

   • 12 = 2² × 3
   • 18 = 2 × 3²
2. Identify the highest power of each prime number from the factorizations.

   • For the prime number 2, the highest power is 2².
   • For the prime number 3, the highest power is 3².
3. Multiply these highest powers to find the LCM.
   LCM = 2² × 3² = 4 × 9 = 36

Thus, the LCM of 12 and 18 is 36.

Options
24
36
48
72