Highest common factors and lowest common multiples

When two or more numbers are multiplied together, the individual numbers are called factors. Thus a factor is a number which divides into another number exactly. The highest common factor (HCF) is the largest number which divides into two or more numbers exactly. A multiple is a number which contains another number an exact number of times. The smallest number which is exactly divisible by each of two or more numbers is called the lowest common multiple (LCM).