Transcript How to Know When to Use GCF or LCM to Solve a Word Problem

How to Know When
to Use GCF or LCM
to Solve
a Word Problem
GCF & LCM Word Problem Key Words
Greatest
Greatest
Largest
Biggest
Divide
Arrangement
Break
Most
Split into smaller parts
Arrange something
into rows or groups
Common
Identical
Same
Similar
Common
Least
Smallest
Time
Least
Buy or get multiple
things
Find something that
happens at the same
time
Find an event that
repeats over and over
Tiffany has 10 baseballs and 20 basketballs. If she wants to
divide them into identical groups without any balls left over,
what is the greatest number of groups Tiffany can make?
Greatest
Identical
Divide
Groups
G
C
F
Example of GCF
Jesus has 14 packets of sugar and 6 packets of artificial
sweetener. He wants to divide them into identical groups,
with no packets left over, so that the groups can be
distributed to some tables at the restaurant where he works.
What is the greatest number of groups Jesus can make?
Greatest
Identical
Divide
Groups
G
C
F
Example of GCF
While performing a piece of music, Bless strikes the
cymbals every 14 beats and the triangle every 6 beats. If she
just struck both at the same time, how many beats will pass
before she again strikes them at the same time?
Time
L
Same
Every
C
M
Example of LCM
Jonathan notices an identical number of two types of insects
in his neighborhood: butterflies and fireflies. He always
seems to observe butterflies in groups of 18 and fireflies in
groups of 17. What is the smallest number of butterflies that
he could have seen?
Smallest
L
Identical
C
Example of LCM
M