GCD

Units & Measurements abbreviation · Math

GCD stands for Greatest common divisor, a math abbreviation.

The largest positive integer that divides two or more integers without a remainder; gcd(48, 18) = 6. It is used to reduce fractions to lowest terms and is central to number theory and cryptography.

Example: Since gcd(84, 36) = 12, the fraction 36/84 reduces to 3/7.

Usage notes

Euclid's algorithm, described around 300 BC in the Elements, finds the GCD by repeated division and is one of the oldest algorithms still in everyday use. Two numbers whose GCD is 1 are called coprime. Formulas and programming languages write it lowercase, as in Python's math.gcd. US elementary schools call the same quantity GCF, and British schools HCF.

Related abbreviations

More math abbreviations

• deg – Degree (angle)
• det – Determinant
• dim – Dimension
• exp – Exponential function
• FOIL – First, Outer, Inner, Last
• FTC – Fundamental theorem of calculus
• GCF – Greatest common factor
• HCF – Highest common factor
• HL – Hypotenuse-Leg (congruence)
• iff – If and only if
• Im – Imaginary part
• inf – Infimum

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Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.