What is the least common multiple of 5 and 10?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the least common multiple (LCM) of the numbers 5 and 10. To find the LCM, we need to determine the smallest positive integer that is a multiple of both numbers.
Answer
10
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is 10
Steps to Solve
- List the multiples of each number
To find the LCM, list out some multiples of each number until we find a common multiple.
Multiples of 5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ...
Multiples of 10: 10, 20, 30, 40, ...
- Identify the smallest common multiple
From the lists of multiples, identify the smallest number that appears in both lists. In this case, the smallest common multiple is 10.
The final answer is 10
More Information
The least common multiple (LCM) of two numbers provides the smallest number that both of the given numbers can divide evenly. It's particularly useful when adding, subtracting, or comparing fractions.
Tips
A common mistake is to stop listing multiples too early and miss the smallest common multiple. Always ensure you've gone far enough in the list to find the LCM.
