Final answer:
The greatest common side lengths, also known as the greatest common divisor (GCD), are the largest lengths that can evenly divide two or more given side lengths. It represents the largest length that can be used to evenly measure the given side lengths without any remainder.
Step-by-step explanation:
The greatest common side lengths, also known as the greatest common divisor (GCD), are the largest lengths that can evenly divide two or more given side lengths. It represents the largest length that can be used to evenly measure the given side lengths without any remainder.
For example, if we have two side lengths of 8 cm and 12 cm, we can find their GCD by listing their factors: 8 (1, 2, 4, 8) and 12 (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12). The largest number that appears in both lists is 4, so the greatest common side length (GCD) is 4 cm.
The GCD is useful in simplifying fractions, finding common factors, and solving problems involving ratios or proportions.