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# If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840,

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If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, [#permalink]  03 Dec 2010, 17:09
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If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168
[Reveal] Spoiler: OA

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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  03 Dec 2010, 18:12
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Expert's post
rxs0005 wrote:
If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168

Remember a property of LCM and GCF:
If x and y are two positive integers, LCM * GCF = x* y
Stmnt 1: Just the GCF will give you the product of the two numbers. Not their individual values.
Stmnt 2: Knowing the value of y and LCM is not sufficient to get x.
x could be 840 or 105 or 5 etc.

Using both together, you get x = 840*56/168 = 280
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  03 Dec 2010, 19:09
VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:
rxs0005 wrote:
If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168

Remember a property of LCM and GCF:
If x and y are two positive integers, LCM * GCF = x* y
Stmnt 1: Just the GCF will give you the product of the two numbers. Not their individual values.
Stmnt 2: Knowing the value of y and LCM is not sufficient to get x.
x could be 840 or 105 or 5 etc.

Using both together, you get x = 840*56/168 = 280

Karishma is this a known property? I have never ran across it before? I am not sure I understand why it works either. Can you please explain?
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  04 Dec 2010, 06:08
3
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Expert's post
gettinit wrote:
VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:
rxs0005 wrote:
If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168

Remember a property of LCM and GCF:
If x and y are two positive integers, LCM * GCF = x* y
Stmnt 1: Just the GCF will give you the product of the two numbers. Not their individual values.
Stmnt 2: Knowing the value of y and LCM is not sufficient to get x.
x could be 840 or 105 or 5 etc.

Using both together, you get x = 840*56/168 = 280

Karishma is this a known property? I have never ran across it before? I am not sure I understand why it works either. Can you please explain?

It is taught at school (though curriculums across the world vary)

Let us take an example to see why this works:

$$x = 60 = 2^2 * 3 * 5$$
$$y = 126 = 2*3^2*7$$

Now GCF here will be $$6 (= 2*3)$$ (because that is all that is common to x and y)
LCM will be whatever is common taken once and the remaining i.e. $$(2*3) * 2*5 * 3*7$$

When you multiply GCF with LCM, you get
$$(2*3) * (2*3 *2*5 * 3*7)$$ i.e. whatever is common comes twice and everything else that the two numbers had.

I can re-arrange this product to write it as $$(2*3 * 2*5) * (2*3 * 3*7)$$ i.e. 60*126

This is the product of the two numbers.
Since GCF has what is common to them and LCM has what is common to them written once and everything else, GCF and LCM will always multiply to give the two numbers.

Can you now think what will happen in case of 3 numbers?
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  04 Dec 2010, 06:17
1
KUDOS
Expert's post
rxs0005 wrote:
If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168

The property Karishma used is often tested on GMAT. So, it's a must know property:
for any positive integers $$x$$ and $$y$$, $$x*y=GCD(x,y)*LCM(x,y)$$.

xy-a-multiple-of-102540.html?hilit=most%20important#p797667
data-sufficiency-problem-95872.html?hilit=most%20important#p737970

Hope it helps.
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  04 Dec 2010, 09:12
Thank you Karishma, makes sense. If I use three numbers I don't think this property will work based on the following example:

36 - 2^2*3^2
90 - 2*5*3^2
72- 2^3 * 3^2

GCF - 2*3^2 = 18
LCM - 2^3*3^2*5 = 360

so gcf*lcm=360*18=6480 which does not equal 36*90*72.

Bunuel thanks for the examples, helpful in reinforcing.
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  04 Dec 2010, 13:03
Expert's post
gettinit wrote:
Thank you Karishma, makes sense. If I use three numbers I don't think this property will work based on the following example:

36 - 2^2*3^2
90 - 2*5*3^2
72- 2^3 * 3^2

GCF - 2*3^2 = 18
LCM - 2^3*3^2*5 = 360

so gcf*lcm=360*18=6480 which does not equal 36*90*72.

Bunuel thanks for the examples, helpful in reinforcing.

Yes, that's right. It works only for two numbers.
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  18 Dec 2010, 19:44
Karishma,

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Shanif.
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Re: If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, [#permalink]  27 Sep 2012, 17:41
The question does not say the integers are positive. Is it implied? Factors are always positive so are GCDs and LCMs, but x could be a positive or a negative integer?

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Re: If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, [#permalink]  27 Sep 2012, 17:43
In that case the answer is E

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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  15 Oct 2013, 16:50
VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:

Let us take an example to see why this works:

$$x = 60 = 2^2 * 3 * 5$$
$$y = 126 = 2*3^2*7$$

Now GCF here will be $$6 (= 2*3)$$ (because that is all that is common to x and y)
LCM will be whatever is common taken once and the remaining i.e. $$(2*3) * 2*5 * 3*7$$

When you multiply GCF with LCM, you get
$$(2*3) * (2*3 *2*5 * 3*7)$$ i.e. whatever is common comes twice and everything else that the two numbers had.

I can re-arrange this product to write it as $$(2*3 * 2*5) * (2*3 * 3*7)$$ i.e. 60*126

This is the product of the two numbers.
Since GCF has what is common to them and LCM has what is common to them written once and everything else, GCF and LCM will always multiply to give the two numbers.

Can you now think what will happen in case of 3 numbers?

You've got to be kidding me....that makes perfect sense. I'm glad I'm taking the GMAT, I'm learning all these fascinating formulas I've never used before.
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  15 Oct 2013, 17:01
Bunuel wrote:
rxs0005 wrote:
If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168

The property Karishma used is often tested on GMAT. So, it's a must know property:
for any positive integers $$x$$ and $$y$$, $$x*y=GCD(x,y)*LCM(x,y)$$.

xy-a-multiple-of-102540.html?hilit=most%20important#p797667
data-sufficiency-problem-95872.html?hilit=most%20important#p737970

Hope it helps.

Is there a sheet with the 'must-know' type stuff on it? I know there's the PDF you guys put together, but is there anything that is just a one or two page listing of the commonly used formulas like this?
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Re: GCF LCM DS [#permalink]  15 Oct 2013, 20:32
Expert's post
AccipiterQ wrote:
Is there a sheet with the 'must-know' type stuff on it? I know there's the PDF you guys put together, but is there anything that is just a one or two page listing of the commonly used formulas like this?

The list of must-know formulas would be really short and you would know most of the formulas on it (e.g. Distance = Speed*Time, Sum of first n positive integers = n(n+1)/2, area of a circle = pi*r^2 etc). Even if there are a couple that you don't know, you will come across them while preparing so just jot them down.

There will be many more formulas that you could find useful in particular questions but you can very easily manage without them. Also, learning too many formulas creates confusion about their usage - when to use which one - and hence they should be avoided.
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Re: If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, [#permalink]  18 Jun 2014, 22:39
VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:
rxs0005 wrote:
If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, what is the value of x?

(1) The greatest common factor of x and y is 56.
(2) y = 168

Remember a property of LCM and GCF:
If x and y are two positive integers, LCM * GCF = x* y
Stmnt 1: Just the GCF will give you the product of the two numbers. Not their individual values.
Stmnt 2: Knowing the value of y and LCM is not sufficient to get x.
x could be 840 or 105 or 5 etc.

Using both together, you get x = 840*56/168 = 280

Hi Karishma,

Stmnt 2: if we know the value of y, and the least common multiple, i can't think of another number that X could be other than 5.
Can you give an example?
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Re: If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840, [#permalink]  18 Jun 2014, 22:50
Expert's post
ronr34 wrote:

Hi Karishma,

Stmnt 2: if we know the value of y, and the least common multiple, i can't think of another number that X could be other than 5.
Can you give an example?

I have given some values that x can take from statement 2 - "x could be 840 or 105 or 5 etc"
Note that we don't know the value of GCF from stmnt 2 alone. Hence, x could take many different values. Only when we know the GCF too, can we find the value of x.
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Re: If the least common multiple of integers x and y is 840,   [#permalink] 18 Jun 2014, 22:50
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