Multiples

A multiple is a product of a number and an integer, or more simply, when you multiply
two whole numbers together. Every number has an infinite number of multiples. For
example, the multiples of 2 are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and so on, to infinity. You
may be asked to make a list of multiples until you hit a certain number (for example,
list the multiples of 2 from 2 to 50) or you might be asked to list a certain number
of multiples (for example, list the first 5 multiples of 4). The important part
here is that you carefully read the directions and make sure that you understand
what the question is asking of you before you answer. Here are several examples:

List the first five multiples of the following numbers: 3, 6, 9, 10, 7, 12, 50

3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15

6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30

9: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45

10: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50

7: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35

12: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60

50: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250

You also might recognize multiples as “counting by” the above listed numbers.

Least Common Multiple

Once you learn what multiples are and how to find them, you will often be asked
to find the “least common multiple” between two numbers. For example, this is how
you find the least common multiple (LCM) between 4 and 5:

First, list the multiples of each number. Now, this could go on until infinity,
so we recommend only listing the first 5 multiples of each number, and then continuing
on if you need to.

4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20

5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

Next, underline (or circle) any factors they have in common. If they don’t have
common factors, you need to keep going (check the next five multiples). If they
do have common multiples, underline them, like this:

4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20

5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

Now, you have to find the least common multiple. In our example, we only have one
common multiple, so that is our LCM. However, if we had more than one common multiple,
we would pick the smallest one. Therefore, our LCM between 4 and 5 is 20.

When Would You Use LCM’s?

Very rarely will you be asked to simply find the LCM between two numbers. However,
this process is particularly useful in finding common denominators. For example,
let’s say we had the problem 5/8 + 2/5. We would first need to find a common denominator.
Here’s how we would use LCMs to find the common denominator.

First, we need to list the multiples of each of the denominators in the problem,
8 and 5.

8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40

5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

At this point, we don’t see any common multiples, so we’ll list 5 more for each
one:

8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80

5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50

Now, we underline the common multiples, like this:

8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80

5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50

We notice that 40 is our only common multiple, thus for this problem it is our LCM
as well. Next, you would use the LCM as your new common denominator between the
two fractions. You would expand each fraction so that it has a denominator of 40,
like this:

Then, you would just add the two fractions together: 25/40 + 16/40 = 41/40. Then,
you would convert your fraction into a mixed number (since the fraction is improper)
and you would end up with 1 1/40.

Let’s try one more example. This time, you can try solving it on your own, and then
type your answer into the answer box to see if you’re right!