What is the least common multiple (LCM) for 5 and 10?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the least common multiple (LCM) of the numbers 5 and 10. To solve this, we will identify the multiples of each number and determine the smallest multiple that they share.
Answer
10
Answer for screen readers
The least common multiple (LCM) of 5 and 10 is 10.
Steps to Solve
- List the multiples of each number
List the multiples of 5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc. List the multiples of 10: 10, 20, 30, 40, etc.
- Identify the common multiples
Find the common multiples from the lists. The common multiples are: 10, 20, 30, etc.
- Determine the smallest common multiple
Out of the common multiples, the smallest multiple is 10. Therefore, the least common multiple of 5 and 10 is 10.
The least common multiple (LCM) of 5 and 10 is 10.
More Information
The LCM is the smallest multiple that two or more numbers have in common. It's useful for solving problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions, and finding periods of repeating events.
Tips
A common mistake is stopping too early when listing multiples. Make sure to list out at least a few multiples of each number to find the correct LCM.
