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The highest common factor of a set of coprime numbers is equal to:
1
the lowest among them
the highest among them
2
1
By definition, coprime numbers (or relatively prime numbers) are integers that share no common factors other than 1. Therefore, their Highest Common Factor (HCF) or Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) is always 1.
A set of numbers defined as 'coprime' numbers.
HCF(a,b)=1┬аfor┬аcoprime┬аa,b
By definition, coprime numbers (or relatively prime numbers) are integers that share no common factors other than 1. Therefore, their Highest Common Factor (HCF) or Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) is always 1.
Many students confuse 'coprime' with 'prime' numbers; while all prime numbers are coprime to each other, a set of coprime numbers does not necessarily have to be individually prime (e.g., 8 and 9 are coprime).
Define Coprime Numbers
A set of numbers a and b is called coprime if their only common divisor is 1.
gcd(a,b)=1
Evaluate HCF
The Highest Common Factor (HCF) is synonymous with the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD). By the definition of coprime integers, the greatest factor that divides all numbers in the set is 1.
HCF=1
Verification
For any set of coprime numbers {a1тАЛ,a2тАЛ,...,anтАЛ}, the condition is that no integer greater than 1 divides all elements of the set.
HCF(a1тАЛ,a2тАЛ,...,anтАЛ)=1
A is correct because by definition, coprime numbers share no common factors other than 1, making their HCF equal to 1.
Understanding coprimality is essential for simplifying fractions and working with modular arithmetic in competitive exams, as it helps determine if a fraction is in its irreducible form.