Question

Find the greatest common factor of the numbers.

76, 86

Short answer

The greatest common factor is 2.

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 76 and 86.

The factors of 76 are: $76=2\times 2\times 19$

The factors of 86 are: $86=2\times 43$

Step-3 – State the conclusion

From the factorization it can be observed that 2 is common in both the numbers, therefore, the greatest common factor is 2.