Last updated on August 5th, 2025
The GCF is the largest number that can divide two or more numbers without leaving any remainder. GCF is used to share the items equally, to group or arrange items, and schedule events. In this topic, we will learn about the GCF of 14 and 18.
The greatest common factor of 14 and 18 is 2. The largest divisor of two or more numbers is called the GCF of the numbers. If two numbers are co-prime, they have no common factors other than 1, so their GCF is 1. The GCF of two numbers cannot be negative because divisors are always positive.
To find the GCF of 14 and 18, a few methods are described below:
Steps to find the GCF of 14 and 18 using the listing of factors:
Step 1: Firstly, list the factors of each number
Factors of 14 = 1, 2, 7, 14.
Factors of 18 = 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18.
Step 2: Now, identify the common factors of them. Common factors of 14 and 18: 1, 2.
Step 3: Choose the largest factor.
The largest factor that both numbers have is 2.
The GCF of 14 and 18 is 2.
To find the GCF of 14 and 18 using the Prime Factorization Method, follow these steps:
Step 1: Find the prime factors of each number
Prime Factors of 14: 14 = 2 x 7
Prime Factors of 18: 18 = 2 x 3 x 3 = 2 x 3²
Step 2: Now, identify the common prime factors.
The common prime factor is: 2
Step 3: Multiply the common prime factors 2 = 2
The Greatest Common Factor of 14 and 18 is 2.
Find the GCF of 14 and 18 using the division method or Euclidean Algorithm Method. Follow these steps:
Step 1: First, divide the larger number by the smaller number
Here, divide 18 by 14 18 ÷ 14 = 1 (quotient), The remainder is calculated as 18 − (14×1) = 4
The remainder is 4, not zero, so continue the process
Step 2: Now divide the previous divisor (14) by the previous remainder (4)
Divide 14 by 4 14 ÷ 4 = 3 (quotient), remainder = 14 − (4×3) = 2
Step 3: Now divide the previous divisor (4) by the previous remainder (2)
Divide 4 by 2 4 ÷ 2 = 2 (quotient), remainder = 4 − (2×2) = 0
The remainder is zero, the divisor will become the GCF.
The GCF of 14 and 18 is 2.
Finding GCF of 14 and 18 looks simple, but students often make mistakes while calculating the GCF. Here are some common mistakes to be avoided by the students.
A gardener has 14 rose plants and 18 tulip plants. She wants to arrange them in equal rows, with the largest number of plants in each row. How many plants will be in each row?
We should find the GCF of 14 and 18.
GCF of 14 and 18 is 2.
There are 2 equal groups.
14 ÷ 2 = 7
18 ÷ 2 = 9
There will be 2 groups, and each row gets 7 rose plants and 9 tulip plants.
As the GCF of 14 and 18 is 2, the gardener can make 2 rows.
Now divide 14 and 18 by 2.
Each row gets 7 rose plants and 9 tulip plants.
A chef has 14 apples and 18 oranges. He wants to divide them into baskets with the same number of fruits in each basket, using the largest possible number of fruits per basket. How many fruits will be in each basket?
GCF of 14 and 18 is 2. So each basket will have 2 fruits.
There are 14 apples and 18 oranges.
To find the total number of fruits in each basket, we should find the GCF of 14 and 18.
There will be 2 fruits in each basket.
A tailor has 14 meters of silk and 18 meters of cotton. She wants to cut both fabrics into pieces of equal length, using the longest possible length. What should be the length of each piece?
For calculating longest equal length, we have to calculate the GCF of 14 and 18.
The GCF of 14 and 18 is 2.
The fabric is 2 meters long.
For calculating the longest length of the fabric, first, we need to calculate the GCF of 14 and 18, which is 2. The length of each piece of fabric will be 2 meters.
A carpenter has two wooden boards, one 14 cm long and the other 18 cm long. He wants to cut them into the longest possible equal pieces, without any wood left over. What should be the length of each piece?
The carpenter needs the longest piece of wood.
GCF of 14 and 18 is 2.
The longest length of each piece is 2 cm.
To find the longest length of each piece of the two wooden boards, 14 cm and 18 cm, respectively, we have to find the GCF of 14 and 18, which is 2 cm. The longest length of each piece is 2 cm.
If the GCF of 14 and ‘b’ is 2, and the LCM is 126, find ‘b’.
The value of ‘b’ is 18.
GCF x LCM = product of the numbers
2 × 126 = 14 × b
252 = 14b
b = 252 ÷ 14 = 18
Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana has almost two years of teaching experience. She is a number ninja as she loves numbers. Her interest in numbers can be seen in the way she cracks math puzzles and hidden patterns.
: She loves to read number jokes and games.