What are two common measures used to analyze sets of whole numbers?

• A. Greatest common factor (GCF) and least common multiple (LCM).
• B. Median and mode.
• C. Range and mean.
• D. Sum and product.

Answer: (A)

Two common measures used to analyze sets of whole numbers are the greatest common factor and the least common multiple. The greatest common factor is the largest number that can divide every number in the set exactly, with no remainder. For example, with 12, 18, and 24, the common factors are 1, 2, 3, and 6, so the greatest is 6. The least common multiple is the smallest number that all the numbers divide into evenly. For 12, 18, and 24, the LCM is 72, since 72 is divisible by each of them. These ideas help when you want common building blocks shared by all numbers (GCF) or a shared multiple to line things up or combine things that involve multiples (LCM). They’re different from measures that describe data values, like median or mean, or that describe spread or totals like range or sum.