he instructions to find the LCM of 20, 35 and 40 are the next:
1. Decompose all numbers into prime factors
20 2 10 2 5 5 1
35 5 7 7 1
40 2 20 2 10 2 5 5 1
2. Write all numbers as the product of its prime factors
Prime factors of 20 = 22 . 5
Prime factors of 35 = 5 . 7
Prime factors of 40 = 23 . 5
3. Choose the common and uncommon prime factors with the greatest exponent
Common prime factors: 5
Common prime factors with the greatest exponent: 51
Uncommon prime factors: 2 , 7
Uncommon prime factors with the greatest exponent: 23, 71
4. Calculate the Least Common Multiple or LCM
Remember, to find the LCM of several numbers you must multiply the common and uncommon prime factors with the greatest exponent of those numbers.
LCM = 51. 23. 71 = 280