Question

what is the least common multiple of 8 and 20?

Explanation:

Step1: Prime - factorize the numbers

$8 = 2\times2\times2=2^{3}$
$20 = 2\times2\times5 = 2^{2}\times5$

Step2: Determine the highest - power factors

For the factor 2, the highest power is 3 (from 8). For the factor 5, the highest power is 1 (from 20).

Step3: Calculate the LCM

$LCM(8,20)=2^{3}\times5=40$

Answer:

40