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least common multiple

least common multiple

4.4
The smallest number that two or more numbers divide evenly into
  • noun
  • /list ˈkɒmən ˈmʌltəpl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mínimo común múltiplo
  • Since polyrhythms are deciphered through the least common multiple, many can be notated within a common meter.

What is the least common multiple of those two?

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Examples

  • What is the least common multiple of those two?

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

  • So least common multiple for our denominator.

  • (In terms familiar to Western high school students, the least common multiple of 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 210.)

    Academic text (2003)
  • 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 least common multiple of 4 and 6 is 12, which is the smallest number both can divide into evenly.

  • To find the least common multiple of 8 and 10, you can list their multiples and find the smallest one they share.

  • In math class, we learned that the least common multiple is essential for adding fractions with different denominators.

Synonyms

lowest common multiple
vsleast common multiple
  • Specialized
5.1

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

is the other common full wording for the identical concept
lcm
vsleast common multiple
  • Specialized
7.4

The smallest number that all the given numbers divide evenly into

is the full phrase written out rather than abbreviated

Surface Forms

Morphology

least + common + multiple

The phrase is fully compositional: 'least' (smallest) modifies 'common multiple' (a multiple shared by the numbers), so the overall meaning 'smallest number that is a multiple of each number' follows directly from the constituents. This construction is cross-linguistically regular (e.g. Spanish 'mínimo común múltiplo') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the component words.

Etymology

Least common multiple creates a simple image: imagine two people clapping at different rhythms, one every 4 beats and the other every 6. The times they clap together are the common multiples, and the very first of these is the least multiple, so the phrase means the 'smallest number' that both numbers share.