Question

What is the lcm of 3 and 8

Answer 1

Answer: 24

Step-by-step explanation: To find the least common multiple or lcm of 3 and 8, begin by listing multiples of each number.

Multiples of 3

1 x 3 = 3

2 x 3 = 6

3 x 3 = 9

4 x 3 = 12

5 x 3 = 15

6 x 3 = 18

7 x 3 = 21

8 x 3 = 24

Notice that we skipped 0 x 3 in our list of multiples. That's because 0 x 3 is 0 and our least common multiple can't be 0.

When listing the multiples of 8, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the list of multiples for 3 so that we will notice when we find a least common multiple.

Multiples of 8

1 x 8 = 8 ← not a multiple of 3

2 x 8 = 16 ← not a multiple of 3

3 x 8 = 24 ← multiple of 3

We can stop here because all other multiples that we find will be greater than 24. So the least common multiple or lcm of 3 and 8 is 24.