Question

What is the Least Common Multiple for 12 and 30?

Choose the best answer from the options below:

a) 2
b) 3
c) 6
d) 60

Answer 1

The Least Common Multiple (LCM) for 12 and 30 is 60, which is the smallest number that both 12 and 30 can be divided into without any remainder.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Least Common Multiple (LCM) for 12 and 30 is the smallest number that is a multiple of both 12 and 30. To find the LCM, we can list the multiples of each number until we find a common multiple. The multiples of 12 are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and so on. The multiples of 30 are 30, 60, 90, and so forth. The smallest number that appears in both lists is 60.

Therefore, the correct answer is d) 60.

We can also find the LCM by breaking both numbers down into their prime factors:

• 12 = 2² × 3
• 30 = 2 × 3 × 5

The LCM is the product of the highest power of all prime factors present in either number, which is 2² (or 4) × 3 × 5 = 60.