Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 38 and 172
The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 38 and 172 is 2.
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 38 and 172?
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 | 38 ÷ 172 = 0 remainder 38 |
| 2 | 172 ÷ 38 = 4 remainder 20 |
| 3 | 38 ÷ 20 = 1 remainder 18 |
| 4 | 20 ÷ 18 = 1 remainder 2 |
| 5 | 18 ÷ 2 = 9 remainder 0 |
Examples of GCD Calculations
| Numbers | GCD |
|---|---|
| 21 and 107 | 1 |
| 123 and 57 | 3 |
| 95 and 28 | 1 |
| 156 and 90 | 6 |
| 11 and 74 | 1 |