Solution: The LCM of 42 and 102 is 714
Methods
How to find the LCM of 42 and 102 using Prime Factorization
One way to find the LCM of 42 and 102 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 42?
What are the Factors of 102?
Here is the prime factorization of 42:
2
1
×
3
1
×
7
1
2^1 × 3^1 × 7^1
2 1 × 3 1 × 7 1
And this is the prime factorization of 102:
2
1
×
3
1
×
1
7
1
2^1 × 3^1 × 17^1
2 1 × 3 1 × 1 7 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, 3, 7, 17
2
1
×
3
1
×
7
1
×
1
7
1
=
714
2^1 × 3^1 × 7^1 × 17^1 = 714
2 1 × 3 1 × 7 1 × 1 7 1 = 714
Through this we see that the LCM of 42 and 102 is 714.
How to Find the LCM of 42 and 102 by Listing Common Multiples
The first step to this method of finding the Least Common Multiple of 42 and 102 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, 42 and 102:
What are the Multiples of 42?
What are the Multiples of 102?
Let’s take a look at the first 10 multiples for each of these numbers, 42 and 102:
First 10 Multiples of 42: 42, 84, 126, 168, 210, 252, 294, 336, 378, 420
First 10 Multiples of 102: 102, 204, 306, 408, 510, 612, 714, 816, 918, 1020
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 42 and 102 are 714, 1428, 2142. Because 714 is the smallest, it is the least common multiple.
The LCM of 42 and 102 is 714.
Find the LCM of Other Number Pairs
Want more practice? Try some of these other LCM problems:
What is the LCM of 91 and 16?
What is the LCM of 93 and 59?
What is the LCM of 132 and 31?
What is the LCM of 5 and 147?
What is the LCM of 126 and 63?