The prime factorization of 16: 16 = 2 ⋅ 2 ⋅ 2 ⋅ 2 = 24.
The prime factorization of 24: 24 = 2 ⋅ 2 ⋅ 2 ⋅ 3 = 23 ⋅ 3.
Both 16 and 24 have 23 ( 8 ) in common, so we can remove it from one of the numbers, leaving 24 and 3 . There are no more numbers in common, so the lowest common multiple is 24 ⋅ 3 = 48.