common divisor

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. a number that is a submultiple of all the numbers of a given set.

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common divisor British  

noun

1. another name for common factor

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common divisor Scientific  

1. A number that is a factor of two or more numbers. For example, 3 is a common divisor of both 9 and 15.

2. Also called common factor

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Etymology

Origin of common divisor

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

There is a mathematical explanation for the auditory illusion in my example, sometimes called the missing fundamental: The perceived pitch is the greatest common divisor of the frequencies of the sine waves present.

From Scientific American • Feb. 24, 2018

There was no common divisor for all of the 300 cars shown.

From Time Magazine Archive

This common divisor he found to be 1/1440 of a dollar, or 1/1600 the crown sterling.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 1 by Randolph, Thomas Jefferson

The Executive is the greatest common divisor of a diverse society.

From Behind the Mirrors The Psychology of Disintegration at Washington by Gilbert, Clinton W. (Clinton Wallace)

What'll he do wid the greatest common divisor an' the indicative mood an' the Sea of Azov, an' the Zambezi River, when he's learned 'em, anyhow?

From The Price of the Prairie A Story of Kansas by McCarter, Margaret Hill