Answer: The Euclidean Algorithm is one of the oldest numerical algorithms still in use today. Attributed to ancient Greek mathematician Euclid in his book “Elements” written approximately 300 BC, the algorithm serves as an effective method for finding the greatest common divisor of two whole numbers
In 1815, Carl Gauss used the Euclidean algorithm to demonstrate unique factorization of Gaussian integers, although his work was first published in 1832. Gauss mentioned the algorithm in his Disquisitiones Arithmeticae (published 1801), but only as a method for continued fractions.