What is the greatest common factor of 24, 36, and 48?

The greatest common factor (GCF) of 24, 36, and 48 is 12.

To find the GCF, we can use the prime factorization method. First, we identify the prime factors of each number:

• 24 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 2³ x 3¹
• 36 = 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 = 2² x 3²
• 48 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 2⁴ x 3¹

Next, we take the lowest power of each common prime factor:

• The common prime factor 2 has the lowest power of 2 (from 36).
• The common prime factor 3 has the lowest power of 1 (from both 24 and 48).

Now, we multiply these together:

• GCF = 2² x 3¹ = 4 x 3 = 12

Thus, the greatest common factor of 24, 36, and 48 is 12.