Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 21 and 159
The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 21 and 159 is 3.
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 21 and 159?
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 | 21 ÷ 159 = 0 remainder 21 |
| 2 | 159 ÷ 21 = 7 remainder 12 |
| 3 | 21 ÷ 12 = 1 remainder 9 |
| 4 | 12 ÷ 9 = 1 remainder 3 |
| 5 | 9 ÷ 3 = 3 remainder 0 |
Examples of GCD Calculations
| Numbers | GCD |
|---|---|
| 21 and 157 | 1 |
| 118 and 73 | 1 |
| 46 and 23 | 23 |
| 180 and 115 | 5 |
| 186 and 60 | 6 |