The ratio of HCF to LCM of the least composite number and the least prime

To find the ratio of the highest common factor (HCF) to the least common multiple (LCM) of the least composite number and the least prime number, we need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Determine the least composite number. A composite number is a positive integer greater than 1 that has more than two factors. The least composite number is 4, as it is the smallest number that can be divided evenly by 1, 2, and 4.

Step 2: Determine the least prime number. A prime number is a positive integer greater than 1 that has exactly two factors, 1 and itself. The least prime number is 2, as it is the smallest prime number.

Step 3: Find the HCF of 4 and 2. The factors of 4 are 1, 2, and 4. The factors of 2 are 1 and 2. The common factor between 4 and 2 is 2, which is the highest common factor (HCF).

Step 4: Find the LCM of 4 and 2. The multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, ... The multiples of 2 are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ... The least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 2 is 4, as it is the smallest number that is divisible by both 4 and 2.

Step 5: Calculate the ratio of HCF to LCM. The ratio of HCF to LCM is 2/4, which simplifies to 1/2.

Therefore, the ratio of the HCF to LCM of the least composite number (4) and the least prime number (2) is 1/2.