Problem Statement

Compute the   least common multiple   (LCM)   of two integers. Given   m   and   n,   the least common multiple is the smallest positive integer that has both   m   and   n   as factors.

The least common multiple of   12   and   18   is   36,       because:

As a special case,   if either   m   or   n   is zero,   then the least common multiple is zero.

One way to calculate the least common multiple is to iterate all the multiples of   m,   until you find one that is also a multiple of   n. If you already have   gcd   for greatest common divisor,   then this formula calculates   lcm.

One can also find   lcm   by merging the prime decompositions of both   m   and   n.

Let's start with the solution:

> ilcm( 12, 18 );
                                   36