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Definition

Greatest Common Factor

The greatest common factor (GCF) of two or more expressions is the largest expression that is a factor of all the given expressions. Just as the least common multiple (LCM) identifies the smallest shared multiple, the GCF identifies the largest shared factor. The method for finding the GCF uses prime factorization in a manner similar to the method for finding the LCM. For numbers, the GCF is the largest number that divides evenly into each of the given numbers. For algebraic expressions that include variables, the GCF includes both the numerical GCF of the coefficients and the common variable factors with the lowest exponents present in all expressions.

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Updated 2026-04-30

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