Solution: The LCM of 32 and 52 is 416
Methods
How to find the LCM of 32 and 52 using Prime Factorization
One way to find the LCM of 32 and 52 is to start by comparing the prime factorization of each number. To find the prime factorization, you can follow the instructions for each number here:
What are the Factors of 32?
What are the Factors of 52?
Here is the prime factorization of 32:
2
5
2^5
2 5
And this is the prime factorization of 52:
2
2
×
1
3
1
2^2 × 13^1
2 2 × 1 3 1
When you compare the prime factorization of these two numbers, you want to look for the highest power that each prime factor is raised to. In this case, there are these prime factors to consider: 2, 13
2
5
×
1
3
1
=
416
2^5 × 13^1 = 416
2 5 × 1 3 1 = 416
Through this we see that the LCM of 32 and 52 is 416.
How to Find the LCM of 32 and 52 by Listing Common Multiples
The first step to this method of finding the Least Common Multiple of 32 and 52 is to begin to list a few multiples for each number. If you need a refresher on how to find the multiples of these numbers, you can see the walkthroughs in the links below for each number.
Let’s take a look at the multiples for each of these numbers, 32 and 52:
What are the Multiples of 32?
What are the Multiples of 52?
Let’s take a look at the first 10 multiples for each of these numbers, 32 and 52:
First 10 Multiples of 32: 32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256, 288, 320
First 10 Multiples of 52: 52, 104, 156, 208, 260, 312, 364, 416, 468, 520
You can continue to list out the multiples of these numbers as long as needed to find a match. Once you do find a match, or several matches, the smallest of these matches would be the Least Common Multiple. For instance, the first matching multiple(s) of 32 and 52 are 416, 832, 1248. Because 416 is the smallest, it is the least common multiple.
The LCM of 32 and 52 is 416.
Find the LCM of Other Number Pairs
Want more practice? Try some of these other LCM problems:
What is the LCM of 82 and 119?
What is the LCM of 73 and 47?
What is the LCM of 131 and 35?
What is the LCM of 60 and 125?
What is the LCM of 142 and 83?