Activities · Activity 4.1
Q.What sequence of steps will you follow to compute the LCM of two numbers?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The LCM (least common multiple) is the smallest number divisible by both inputs — so generate multiples of the larger number and stop at the first one the smaller number also divides; or, faster, use LCM = (a × b) / GCD(a, b).
The idea. Framing "find the LCM" as a sequence of steps is exactly what an algorithm is. Checking multiples of the larger number (rather than counting 1, 2, 3 …) is a small but real optimisation: every candidate is already a multiple of one number, so we only test divisibility by the other.
Algorithm (sequence of steps):
Step 1: INPUT a, b
Step 2: SET multiple = max(a, b)
Step 3: IF multiple MOD a == 0 AND multiple MOD b == 0 THEN
LCM = multiple; go to Step 5
Step 4: multiple = multiple + max(a, b); go to Step 3
Step 5: PRINT LCM
Python implementation:
a = int(input("Enter first number: "))
b = int(input("Enter second number: "))
step = max(a, b)
multiple = step
while multiple % a != 0 or multiple % b != 0:
multiple = multiple + step
print("LCM =", multiple)
Trace for a = 4, b = 6:
| multiple tested | divisible by 4? | divisible by 6? | verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | No | Yes | keep going |
| 12 | Yes | Yes | LCM found |
Expected output:
Enter first number: 4
Enter second number: 6
LCM = 12
``` …
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