What is the greatest common factor (GCF) of 16 and 20?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To find the greatest common factor (GCF) of 16 and 20, we need to identify the largest number that divides both 16 and 20 exactly.
Step 1: Find the factors of 16
The factors of 16 are the numbers that divide 16 without leaving a remainder:
- 1, 2, 4, 8, 16
Step 2: Find the factors of 20
Similarly, the factors of 20 are:
- 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20
Step 3: Identify the common factors
Next, we compare the factors of 16 and 20 to find the numbers that appear in both lists. The common factors are:
- 1, 2, 4
Step 4: Find the greatest of the common factors
The greatest of these common factors is 4.
Therefore, the greatest common factor (GCF) of 16 and 20 is 4.
Explanation:
The GCF, sometimes called the greatest common divisor (GCD), is the largest number that divides both numbers completely. Finding the GCF is useful in many areas of math, such as simplifying fractions, finding common denominators, or solving problems involving ratios. In this case, by listing the factors of each number and identifying the largest shared factor, we can easily determine that 4 is the GCF of 16 and 20.
