Greatest Common Factor of 42 and 86

Created By : Jatin Gogia

Reviewed By : Rajasekhar Valipishetty

Last Updated : Apr 06, 2023


Make use of GCF Calculator to quickly find the Greatest Common Factor of numbers 42, 86 i.e. 2 largest integer by which both the numbers can be divided.

Greatest common factor (GCF) of 42 and 86 is 2.

GCF(42,86) = 2

GCF of 42 and 86

Greatest common factor or Greatest common divisor (GCD) can be calculated in following way;

GCF of:
and

Greatest Common Factor of 42 and 86

GCF of 42 and 86 is 2

Prime Factorization of 42


2 42
3 21
7 7
1

Prime factors of 42 are 2,3,7. Prime factorization of 42 in exponential form is:

42 = 21×31×71

Prime Factorization of 86


2 86
43 43
1

Prime factors of 86 are 2,43. Prime factorization of 86 in exponential form is:

86 = 21×431

∴ So by taking common prime factors GCF of 42 and 86 is 2

Greatest Common Factor of 42 and 86 by matching factors method

Factors of 42

List of positive integer factors of 42 that divides 42 without a remainder.

1,2,3,6,7,14,21,42

Factors of 86

List of positive integer factors of 86 that divides 86 without a remainder.

1,2,43,86

Greatest Common Factor

We found the factors and prime factorization of 42 and 86. The biggest common factor number is the GCF number.
So the greatest common factor 42 and 86 is 2.

Also check out the Least Common Multiple of 42 and 86

Properties of GCF 42 and 86

(i) The GCF of 42 and 86 is associative

GCF of 42 and 86 = GCF of 86 and 42

Frequently Asked Questions on GCF of 42 and 86

1. What is the GCF of 42 and 86?

Answer: GCF of 42 and 86 is 2.

2. What are the Factors of 42?

Answer: Factors of 42 are 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, 42. There are 8 integers that are factors of 42. The greatest factor of 42 is 42.

3. What are the Factors of 86?

Answer: Factors of 86 are 1, 2, 43, 86. There are 4 integers that are factors of 86. The greatest factor of 86 is 86.

4. How to Find the GCF of 42 and 86?

Answer:

Greatest Common Factor of 42 and 86 = 2

Step 1: Find the prime factorization of 42

42 = 2 x 3 x 7

Step 2: Find the prime factorization of 86

86 = 2 x 43

Step 3: Multiply those factors both numbers have in common in steps i) or ii) above to find the gcf:

GCF = 2

Step 4: Therefore, the greatest common factor of 42 and 86 is 2