1

GCSE/KS3 – Prime
Factorisation & HCF/LCM

Exercise 1 6. Put in prime factorised form:

a. 35 ×36
1. Write the following as a product of b. 22 ×33 ×24 ×3 5
prime numbers (you will not need to
c. 14 7
use a tree).
d. 3658
a. 35
e. 5555
b. 8
c. 30 f. 6 ×3 20
2. By drawing a tree of otherwise, find 7. Prime factorise the following:
prime factorisations (in index form) a. 10 000
for the following numbers. b. 257
a. 56 c. 1830
b. 75 d. 4 6 ×86
c. 126 e. 1 000 000100
d. 204
e. 168  Suppose 1 was considered to be a
f. 180 prime number. Explain why this
g. 300 violates the Fundamental Law of
h. 825 Arithmetic.
i. 792  [TMC Regional 2012 Q4] Find the sum
3. [IMC 2001 Q6] of all numbers less than 120 which
2001=3 × 23× 29. Which of the are the product of exactly three
following numbers is also the product different prime factors.
of exactly three distinct prime
numbers? Exercise 2
[ ] 45 [ ] 60 [ ] 91
[ ] 105 [ ] 330 1. Find the LCM and HCF of the
4. [Edexcel IGCSE(9-1) Jan 2019(R) 1F following pairs of numbers (using any
Q24b, Jan 2019(R) 1H Q9b] suitable method).
9 a. 6 and 8
N=480 ×10
b. 13 and 5
Write N as a product of powers of its
c. 12 and 15
prime factors.
d. 21 and 35
5. [Edexcel IGCSE May2014(R)-4H Q8b
2. Find the LCM and HCF of the
Edited]
following numbers in prime
Given that 240=24 ×3 ×5
factorised form.
and that 252=2 2 ×3 2 ×7
a. 22 ×33 23 × 32
and that y=240× 252
b. 2 ×32 ×5 2 ×33
write y as a product of powers of its
c. 2 ×32 ×5 3 ×5 ×7
prime factors.

www.drfrostmaths.com

d. 33 ×5 52 ×7
3. Find the LCM and HCF of the
following pairs, by prime factorising
the numbers first (you are welcome
to use the ‘FACT’ button on your
calculator).
a. 36 and 378
b. 315 and 3675
c. 72 and 66
d. 2880 and 792
e. 375 and 325
f. 252 and 2079
4. The K4 bus comes every 9 minutes.
The K3 bus comes every 12 minutes.
If they both come at 9am, at what
time will they next arrive at the same
time?
5. Year 7 has 48 pupils in it. Year 8 has
90 pupils in it.
Each year group has to be divided
into football teams, so that all teams
(across both Year 7 and 8) are the
same size, and no people are left
over. What’s the largest team size?
6. [Edexcel GCSE Nov2013-1F Q27i,
Nov2013-1H Q7i] Rita is going to
make some cheeseburgers for a
party. She buys some packets of
cheese slices and some boxes of
burgers.
There are 20 cheese slices in each
packet.
There are 12 burgers in each box.
Rita buys exactly the same number of
cheese slices and burgers.
a. How many packets of cheese
slices and how many boxes of
burgers does she buy?
b. Rita wants to put one cheese
slice and one burger into
each bread roll. She wants to
use all the cheese slices and
all the burgers. How many
www.drfrostmaths.com
2
bread rolls does Rita need?
7. [Edexcel IGCSE(9-1) Jan 2019 2F
Q20b, Jan 2019 2H Q6b]
3 2
A=2 × 5× 7 ×11B=2 × 7 ×11
4
2
C=3 ×5
Find the lowest common multiple
(LCM) of A , B and C .
8. [Edexcel GCSE June2008-4H Q16b]
James thinks of two numbers. He says
“The Highest Common Factor (HCF)
of my two numbers is 3
The Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)
of my two numbers is 45”. Write
down two numbers that James could
be thinking of.
9. [Edexcel GCSE(9-1) June 2018 3H
Q10] Here are three lamps.
Lamp A flashes every 20 seconds.
Lamp B flashes every 45 seconds.
Lamp C flashes every 120 seconds.
The three lamps start flashing at the
same time. How many times in one
hour will the three lamps flash at the
same time?
10. [JMC 2009 Q18] Six friends are having
dinner together in their local
restaurant. The first eats there every
day, the second eats there every
other day, the third eats there every
third day, the fourth eats there every
fourth day, the fifth every fifth day
and the sixth eats there every sixth
day. They agree to have a party the
next time they all eat together there.
 3

In how many days’ time is the party? Exercise 3 (Extension)

11. [Edexcel IGCSE May2016-4H Q10] The 1. Which of the following are factors of
3 2
highest common factor (HCF) of 140 5 ×7 ×11? Answer true of false.
2
and x is 20. a. 5
The lowest common multiple (LCM) b. 54
of 140 and x is 420. Find the value of c. 5 ×7 2
x. d. 72 ×13
e. 7 ×112
12. [IMC 2013 Q15] I have a bag of coins.
2. List all of the twelve factors of 73 ×52
In it, one third of the coins are gold,
, leaving your factors in prime
one fifth of them are silver, two
factorised form.
sevenths are bronze and the rest are
3. Answer true or false.
copper. My bag can hold a maximum
a. 3 4 is a factor of 37
of 200 coins. How many coins are in
4
my bag? b. 3 × 5 is a multiple
A 101 B 105 C 153 D 195 of 32 ×52
c. 35 is a factor of 2 ×33 ×52
 ϕ ( n ) finds the number of integers d. 24 is a factor of 24 ×3 2 ×5
between 1 and n that share no 4. Without listing out the factors, work
factors with n other than 1 (i.e. the out how many factors each of the
HCF is 1). following numbers have:
For example ϕ ( 6 ) =2 because for two a. 32 ×54
numbers up to 6: 1 and 5, HCF(6,1) = b. 2
5 ×7
1 and HCF(6, 5) = 1. c. 2 ×3 ×5 ×7
a. What is ϕ (10)? d. 2
10

b. What is ϕ (7) ? e. 10
2 ×3
10

c. What in general is ϕ ( p) for a 5. Work out how many factors each of

prime number p? the following numbers have:
d. Given that ϕ ( mn )=ϕ ( m ) ϕ ( n ) a. 105
(provided that b. 6
6

HCF ( m, n ) =1), find c. 1212

ϕ ( 1155 ) d. 100010
6. [JMC 2000 Q23] A certain number
has exactly eight factors including 1
Fro Note: ϕ (n) ’s posh name is ‘Euler’s
and itself. Two of its factors are 21
Totient Function’.
and 35. What is the number?
 [JMO 1997 B2] Every prime number
has two factors. How many integers
between 1 and 200 have exactly four
factors?

www.drfrostmaths.com