highest common factor
- noun
- /ˈhaɪəst ˈkɒmən ˈfæktər/
- UK
:
máximo común divisor
- The highest common factor of 12 and 18 is 6.
Examples
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To solve this problem, first find the highest common factor of 18 and 24.
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We calculated the highest common factor to simplify the fraction.
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Mathematicians often refer to the highest common factor as the greatest common divisor.
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Can you find the highest common factor of these numbers?
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To solve this problem, first find the highest common factor of 18 and 24.
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We calculated the highest common factor to simplify the fraction.
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Can you find the highest common factor of these numbers?
Synonyms
The biggest whole number that divides two or more numbers exactly
The largest number that divides evenly into two or more whole numbers without leaving a remainder
The largest number that divides two or more numbers exactly
Antonyms
- Specialized
The smallest number that two or more numbers divide evenly into
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built: 'factor' (a number that divides another), 'common' (shared by the given integers), and 'highest' (the largest). A B1 learner who knows these constituents can derive that it means the largest number that divides all the given numbers; this is a standard mathematical collocation with cross-linguistic parallels, so the sense is predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Highest common factor comes from a simple picture: imagine you have two groups of objects and you want to make equal piles using the biggest pile size that works for both. The word factor means a number that 'goes into' another number, common means it is shared by both numbers, and highest means the biggest one, so the phrase means 'the largest number that goes into each of the given numbers without leftovers'.
