Question

Find the greatest common factor of the numbers.

12, 36

Short answer

The greatest common factor is 12.

Step-by-step solution

Step-1 – Define greatest common factor

A common factor is a whole number that is a factor of two or more nonzero whole numbers. The greatest of the common factors is the greatest common factor (GCF).

Step-2 – Factor the numbers

Factor both the numbers 12 and 36.

The factors of 12 are: $12=2\times 2\times 3$

The factors of 36 are: $36=2\times 2\times 3\times 3$

Step-3 – State the conclusion

From the factorization it can be observed that $2\times 2\times 3$ is common in both the numbers, therefore, the greatest common factor is 12.