HCF of 2 and 4

The HCF of 2 and 4 is 2. The greatest possible number that divides 2 and 4 perfectly without any remainder is the HCF of 2 and 4. The factors of 2 and 4 are 1, 2 and 1, 2, 4, respectively. In this article you can see how to find HCF of 2 and 4 by listing common factors, long division, and prime factorisation methods.

Also read: Highest common factor

What is the HCF of 2 and 4?

The answer to this question is 2. This article shows the HCF of 2 and 4 using various methods for your reference. The greatest of all their common factors is the Highest Common Factor (HCF) of two or more numbers.

How to Find HCF of 2 and 4?

There are three methods to find the HCF of 2 and 4:

• Prime Factorisation
• Long Division method
• Listing common factors

HCF of 2 and 4 by Prime Factorisation Method

The prime factorisation of 2 and 4 is given by:

Prime factorisation of 2 = 2

Prime factorisation of 4 = (2 × 2)

Hence, the HCF of 2 and 4 is 2.

HCF (2, 4) = 2

HCF of 2 and 4 by Long Division Method

The divisor that we receive when the remainder becomes 0 after executing long division repeatedly is HCF of 2 and 4.

No further division can be done. 

Hence, HCF (2, 4) = 2

HCF of 2 and 4 by Listing the Factors

To calculate the HCF of 2 and 4 by listing out the common factors, list the factors as shown below:

Factors of 2: 1, 2

Factors of 4: 1, 2, 4

There are 2 common factors of 2 and 4, and they are 1 and 2. Therefore, the highest common factor of 2 and 4 is 2.

Related Articles

• HCF
• HCF of Two Numbers
• HCF and LCM
• Relation between HCF and LCM
• GCF calculator

Video Lesson on Properties of HCF and LCM

HCF of 2 and 4 Solved Example

Question: The product of two numbers is 8. If their HCF is 2, what is their LCM?

Solution:

Given: HCF = 2 and product of numbers = 8

LCM × HCF = product of numbers

⇒ LCM = Product/HCF = 8/2

Therefore, the LCM is 4.