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Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic

Every natural number greater than 1 is either a prime number or can be written as a unique product of primes.

12 is a composite number

12 is a composite number. It can be written as an unique product of primes by dividing it by prime factors until ending with the digit 1.

Always start with the lowest prime factors working upwards.

12 can be written as 2×2×3 or 22×3

Example Question

Find the HCF and LCM of 363 and 462.

3×112

2×3×7×11

HCF = Intersection of the two sets = 11×3 = 33

LCM = Union of the two sets = 11×11×3×2×7 = 5082