Final answer:
The highest common factor (HCF) of 8, 16, and 18 is determined by the highest power of the common prime factor present in all three numbers, which is 2, making the HCF 2.
Step-by-step explanation:
The highest common factor (HCF) of 8, 16, and 18 can be found by breaking down each number into its prime factors:
Now, we look for the highest power of common prime factors. In this case, the common prime factor is 2, and the highest power of 2 that is present in all three numbers is 2¹ (or just 2).
Therefore, the HCF of 8, 16, and 18 is 2.