Example Question - lowest common multiple

Finding the Lowest Common Multiple

<p>We need to find the LCM of 18, 36, and 54.</p> <p>Step 1: Factor each number into its prime factors:</p> <p>18 = 2 \times 3^2</p> <p>36 = 2^2 \times 3^2</p> <p>54 = 2 \times 3^3</p> <p>Step 2: Take the highest power of each prime:</p> <p>For 2: highest power is \(2^2\)</p> <p>For 3: highest power is \(3^3\)</p> <p>Step 3: Multiply these together:</p> <p>LCM = 2^2 \times 3^3 = 4 \times 27 = 108</p> <p>The lowest common multiple (LCM) of 18, 36, and 54 is 108.</p>