Loading…
Math Tutor Solution: The GCF of 12 and 4 is 4
Methods
How to find the GCF of 12 and 4 using Prime Factorization
One way to find the GCF of 12 and 4 is to compare the prime factorization of each number. To find the prime factorization, you can follow the instructions for each number here:
Here is the prime factorization of 12:
And this is the prime factorization of 4:
When you compare the prime factorization of these two numbers, you can see that there are matching prime factors. You can now find the Greatest Common Factor of 12 and 4 by multiplying all the matching prime factors to get a GCF of 12 and 4 as 4:
Thus, the GCF of 12 and 4 is: 4
How to Find the GCF of 12 and 4 by Listing All Common Factors
The first step to this method of finding the Greatest Common Factor of 12 and 4 is to find and list all the factors of each number. Again, you can see how this is done by looking at the “Factors of” articles that are linked to above.
Let’s take a look at the factors for each of these numbers, 12 and 4:
Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
Factors of 4: 1, 2, 4
When you compare the two lists of factors, you can see that the common factor(s) are 1, 2, 4. Since 4 is the largest of these common factors, the GCF of 12 and 4 would be 4.
Math Tutor Suggests: Find the GCF of Other Number Pairs
Want more practice? Try some of these other GCF problems walkthrough from math tutors:
Download FREE Math Resources
Take advantage of our free downloadable resources and study materials for at-home learning.
8 Math Hacks and Tricks to Turn Your 'Okay' Math Student Into a Math Champion!
One thing we teach our students at Thinkster is that there are multiple ways to solve a math problem. This helps our students learn to think flexibly and non-linearly.
Get PDF
Math Tutoring to Boost Your Child’s Math Skills & Scores by 90% in Just 3 Months – Guaranteed!
Does your child struggle with math homework or understanding tricky math concepts? Do they do okay in math, but express excitement to learn new material or advanced math?
A Thinkster Math tutor provides one-to-one support to help elementary, middle school, and high school students build confidence and master math subjects like K-8 math, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, calculus, and more.
Our expert math tutors customize math lessons to your child’s unique needs, making learning math fun and effective. We help students improve grades, develop strong critical thinking skills through solving word problems, excel in standardized tests, and develop strong problem-solving skills.
Our expert math tutors are ready to help make your child a champion and develop strong math mastery! Sign up for our 7-day free trial and get the best math tutor for your child today!
Start 7-Day Free Trial