Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
lcm

lcm

7.4
The smallest number that all the given numbers divide evenly into
  • noun
  • /ˌɛlˌsiːˈɛm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mcm
  • To find the lowest common multiple of 4 and 5, we need to calculate the LCM, which is 20.

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

Examples

  • I just multiplied these out and then I take them over my LCM or common denominator.

  • Because ladies and gentlemen, if students do not factor, your LCM looks like this.

  • Michael Dennis, MBA, CBF, LCM

    Blog text (31)

  • John Robertson MP was a LCM in BT (for US readers, managed a team of telco linemen).

    Blog text (16)

  • The full dataset is available at GeneNetwork.org (INIA LCM 11 Regions RNA-seq Transcript Level.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Then they were transferred to the area of the airstrip, on the beach, where they went into perimeter defense and also assisted in dock work, unloading cargo from landing craft, LCTs, and LCMs.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Figure 14(b) reveals that the LCM technique is wavelength-dependent but can approach the physical limit of resolution given by Res = lambda/(2n) much more closely than can "hard" contact lithography 12.

    Academic text (2001)

  • In mathematics, the LCM of a set of numbers is useful for finding a common denominator in addition problems.

  • When adding fractions with different denominators, first, identify the LCM to make the addition easier.

Synonyms

least common multiple
vslcm
  • Specialized
4.4

The smallest number that two or more numbers divide evenly into

is identical in meaning but written as an abbreviation of the phrase
lowest common multiple
vslcm
  • Specialized
5.1

The smallest number that each of the given numbers goes into evenly

is identical in meaning but written as an abbreviation of the phrase

Surface Forms

lcm singular
lcms plural

Morphology

lcm = l + c + m

This is an initialism (acronym) whose letters do not transparently convey the meaning 'least common multiple' to a learner.

Etymology

Lcm is short for least common multiple. Least means 'smallest', common means 'shared by all the numbers', and multiple means 'a number you get by multiplying', so the phrase means the smallest number that is a multiple of every given number, which is why we use lcm to add fractions or match repeating cycles.