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Glite Dictionary
common multiple

common multiple

3.4
A number that two or more other numbers divide evenly
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːmən ˈmʌltəbl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : múltiplo común
  • (In terms familiar to Western high school students, the least common multiple of 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 210.)
  • the least common multiple

What is the least common multiple of those two?

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Examples

  • So least common multiple for our denominator.

  • What is the least common multiple of those two?

    Brian McLogan

  • So really what it is you can always use is the least common multiple, the LCM.

  • In this exercise, students were able to make mathematical connections to the patterns inherent in skip counting and finding common multiples.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Since polyrhythms are deciphered through the least common multiple, many can be notated within a common meter.

    Academic text (2013)

  • We do so by case analysis on the reminders of s modulo the least common multiple of divisors, i.e., 15.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The control group was trained in a traditional algorithm-based approach in which a common denominator is selected by finding the lowest common multiple of existing denominators. The respective numerators are adjusted appropriately, and the resulting fractions are added or subtracted as prescribed.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The least common multiple of 4 and 6 is 12.

  • Finding a common multiple of different numbers can help simplify fractions.

  • To solve this problem, we first need to identify a common multiple of 8 and 12.

Surface Forms

common multiple singular
common multiples plural

Morphology

common + multiple

The meaning 'a number that is a multiple of two or more other numbers' is directly derivable from combining 'common' (shared) with 'multiple' (a number that is an integer times another). This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase used in mathematics and mirrors equivalent constructions in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The term common multiple comes from a simple number picture: a multiple is a number you get by counting in steps, like 3, 6, 9, and a common one is a number that appears in both lists. So a common multiple is a number that both original numbers 'share'.