PERT Practice Test 2026 – Complete Guide for Exam Prep

The least common multiple (LCM) of two or more numbers is defined as the smallest multiple that is exactly divisible by each of those numbers. This means that if you were to list the multiples of each of the numbers in question, the LCM would be the smallest number that appears in all of those lists.

For instance, consider the numbers 4 and 5. The multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, etc., and the multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. The smallest number that appears in both lists is 20, which represents the LCM of 4 and 5.

Understanding the LCM is crucial in various mathematical contexts, such as adding fractions with different denominators or finding a common frequency in periodic functions. This concept emphasizes the idea of common multiples, where the goal is to find the minimum value among shared multiples rather than the highest value, the sum, or the product of the numbers, which are different mathematical operations and concepts.