Work out the lowest common multiple (LCM) of 24 and 56

Determine the prime factors of each number, 24 and 56. For 24, the prime factors are 2 x 2 x 2 x 3, while for 56, the prime factors are 2 x 2 x 2 x 7.

Identify the common prime factors between the two numbers. In this case, both 24 and 56 share the prime factor 2. Since 2 is repeated three times in the prime factorization of 24 and twice in the prime factorization of 56, we take the highest power of 2, which is 2^3.

Calculate the lowest common multiple (LCM) by multiplying the highest power of each prime factor. Therefore, the LCM of 24 and 56 is 2^3 x 3 x 7, which equals 168. Therefore, the lowest common multiple of 24 and 56 is 168.

Achieve the best grades with an online maths tutor for GCSE