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What is the greatest common factor of 24s3 , 12s4 , and 18s

User Saraph
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2 Answers

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If your answer choices are A. 3 B. 6 C. 3s and D. 6s then the answer is D. 6s
User Giles Van Gruisen
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3 votes

Answer:

6s

Explanation:

In a greatest common factor problem involving numbers and variables, you can calculate the gcf for the values and for the variables separately.

For the values, you have 24-12-18, so we need to find the factor for which each of these values are divisible. This factor is 2, so each value is divided by 2.

We are left with 12-6-9. Now, 9 is not divisible by 2, so we need to try the next prime number, which is 3. Each one of these values is divisible by 3, so now we have 4-2-3. There are no more factors for which each of these numbers are divisible, so gcf(24,12,18) = 2*3 = 6.

Now we do the same for the variables.

We need to find gcf(s^{3}, s^{4}, s). We start the process by dividing the each variable(in this case, s^{3}, s^{4}, s) for smallest value of it's exponents for which all are divisible(in this case, s). So we end up with s^{2}, s^[3} and 1. There are no more values x of s^{x} that we can divide all the factors, so gcf(s^{3}, s^{4}, s) = s.

To find the final answer, we just multiply the gcf's.

gcf(24,12,18)*gcf(s^{3}, s^{4}, s) = 6*s = 6s

User Yeesterbunny
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