Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 138 and 78
The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 138 and 78 is 6.
What is the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD)?
The GCD of two integers is the largest positive integer that divides both numbers without leaving a remainder. It is useful in simplifying fractions, finding common factors, and in number theory.
How to Calculate the GCD of 138 and 78?
We use the Euclidean algorithm, which involves the following steps:
- Divide the larger number by the smaller number.
- Replace the larger number with the smaller number and the smaller number with the remainder from the division.
- Repeat this process until the remainder is zero.
- The non-zero remainder just before zero is the GCD.
Step-by-Step Euclidean Algorithm
| Step | Calculation |
|---|---|
| 1 | 138 ÷ 78 = 1 remainder 60 |
| 2 | 78 ÷ 60 = 1 remainder 18 |
| 3 | 60 ÷ 18 = 3 remainder 6 |
| 4 | 18 ÷ 6 = 3 remainder 0 |
Examples of GCD Calculations
| Numbers | GCD |
|---|---|
| 134 and 174 | 2 |
| 131 and 113 | 1 |
| 33 and 29 | 1 |
| 66 and 140 | 2 |
| 42 and 175 | 7 |