Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 24 and 159
The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 24 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 24 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 | 24 ÷ 159 = 0 remainder 24 |
| 2 | 159 ÷ 24 = 6 remainder 15 |
| 3 | 24 ÷ 15 = 1 remainder 9 |
| 4 | 15 ÷ 9 = 1 remainder 6 |
| 5 | 9 ÷ 6 = 1 remainder 3 |
| 6 | 6 ÷ 3 = 2 remainder 0 |
Examples of GCD Calculations
| Numbers | GCD |
|---|---|
| 184 and 161 | 23 |
| 138 and 76 | 2 |
| 53 and 155 | 1 |
| 120 and 158 | 2 |
| 138 and 116 | 2 |