A Curious Result for GCDs and LCMs

Author(s): JATHAN AUSTIN

Source: Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 89, No. 3 (June 2016), p. 190
Published by: Mathematical Association of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.4169/math.mag.89.3.190
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190 MATHEMATICS MAGAZINE

A Curious Result for GCDs and LCMs

JATHAN AUSTIN
Salisbury University
jwaustin@salisbury.edu

A student of mine once pointed out that

24 + 36 = LCM(24, 36) − GCD(24, 36),
where LCM and GCD stand for the least common multiple and greatest common divi-
sor, respectively. Her observation suggests the following question: for which positive
integers a and b is a + b = LCM(a, b) − GCD(a, b)? There is perhaps little reason
to believe that such a relationship would ever hold, as the relationship is additive in
nature, whereas GCDs and LCMs are multiplicative. Therefore, the following result is
a curious one.
THEOREM. Let a and b be positive integers. Then,
a + b = LCM(a, b) − GCD(a, b) if and only if {a, b} = {2k, 3k}
for some positive integer k.
Proof. Suppose a and b are positive integers with
a + b = LCM(a, b) − GCD(a, b). (1)
There exist relatively prime positive integers a  and b such that a = a  GCD(a, b)
and b = b GCD(a, b). Notice that
LCM(a, b) = LCM(a  GCD(a, b), b GCD(a, b)) = GCD(a, b)LCM(a  , b ).
LCM(a  , b ) = a  b as a  and b are relatively prime. Hence, we may divide both
b + 1
sides of (1) by GCD(a, b) to obtain a  + b = a  b − 1. This implies that a  =  .
b −1
However, since a  is a positive integer that is relatively prime to b , one quickly notes
that {a  , b } = {2, 3} and therefore
{a, b} = {2(GCD(a, b)), 3(GCD(a, b))} = {2k, 3k}, where k = GCD(a, b).
Conversely, suppose {a, b} = {2k, 3k} for some positive integer k. It follows that
GCD(a, b) = k and LCM(a, b) = 6k. Therefore,
a + b = 5k = 6k − k = LCM(a, b) − GCD(a, b). 

Summary. We give necessary and sufficient conditions under which the sum of two positive integers equals the
difference of their least common multiple and greatest common divisor, and then prove this result.

JATHAN AUSTIN (MR Author ID: 104737) is currently an assistant professor of mathematics at Salisbury
University in Salisbury, Maryland. He received a B.S. in mathematics from Salisbury University, an M.S. in
mathematics and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Delaware. He teaches a range of
mathematics courses, both for future and current teachers and for traditional mathematics majors. His research
interests include elementary number theory with connections to linear algebra and studying the mathematical
development of prospective teachers.

Math. Mag. 89 (2016) 190–190. doi:10.4169/math.mag.89.3.190. 

c Mathematical Association of America
MSC: Primary 97F60

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