Calculate the greatest (highest) common factor (divisor)
gcf, hcf, gcd (9,710; 7,008) = ?
Method 1. The prime factorization:
The prime factorization of a number: finding the prime numbers that multiply together to make that number.
9,710 = 2 × 5 × 971
9,710 is not a prime number but a composite one.
7,008 = 25 × 3 × 73
7,008 is not a prime number but a composite one.
- Prime number: a natural number that is only divisible by 1 and itself. A prime number has exactly two factors: 1 and itself.
- Composite number: a natural number that has at least one other factor than 1 and itself.
Calculate the greatest (highest) common factor (divisor):
Multiply all the common prime factors, taken by their smallest exponents (the smallest powers).
Step 1. Divide the larger number by the smaller one:
9,710 ÷ 7,008 = 1 + 2,702
Step 2. Divide the smaller number by the above operation's remainder:
7,008 ÷ 2,702 = 2 + 1,604
Step 3. Divide the remainder of the step 1 by the remainder of the step 2:
2,702 ÷ 1,604 = 1 + 1,098
Step 4. Divide the remainder of the step 2 by the remainder of the step 3:
1,604 ÷ 1,098 = 1 + 506
Step 5. Divide the remainder of the step 3 by the remainder of the step 4:
1,098 ÷ 506 = 2 + 86
Step 6. Divide the remainder of the step 4 by the remainder of the step 5:
506 ÷ 86 = 5 + 76
Step 7. Divide the remainder of the step 5 by the remainder of the step 6:
86 ÷ 76 = 1 + 10
Step 8. Divide the remainder of the step 6 by the remainder of the step 7:
76 ÷ 10 = 7 + 6
Step 9. Divide the remainder of the step 7 by the remainder of the step 8:
10 ÷ 6 = 1 + 4
Step 10. Divide the remainder of the step 8 by the remainder of the step 9:
6 ÷ 4 = 1 + 2
Step 11. Divide the remainder of the step 9 by the remainder of the step 10:
4 ÷ 2 = 2 + 0
At this step, the remainder is zero, so we stop:
2 is the number we were looking for - the last non-zero remainder.
This is the greatest (highest) common factor (divisor).
The greatest (highest) common factor (divisor):
gcf, hcf, gcd (9,710; 7,008) = 2
The two numbers have common prime factors