Multiple
- CBSE · NCERT Class 6, Ch 5 Prime Time
A multiple of a number is what you get when you multiply it by 1, 2, 3 and so on, so 4, 8 and 12 are multiples of 4.
The multiples of a number are its times table, carried on forever. The multiples of 6 are 6, 12, 18, 24 and so on. A number has only a few factors, but it has endless multiples.
Every number is a multiple of itself, since 6 = 6 × 1. If 18 is a multiple of 6, then 6 is a factor of 18. The two words describe one link from opposite ends.
A small example
One bus leaves a stop every 4 minutes. Another leaves every 6 minutes. Both leave together at 9:00. When do they next leave together?
- Multiples of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 ...
- Multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24 ...
The first number in both lists is 12. So they leave together again at 9:12. The numbers in both lists, 12, 24, 36 and so on, are the common multiples. The smallest, 12, is the lowest common multiple.
Why it matters later
In Class 10 Chapter 1 you find the LCM from prime factors instead of long lists. The page on HCF and LCM shows how. Word problems about bells, lights or buses meeting again are LCM questions in disguise.
Sources
Facts last checked against these sources on 30 September 2026.
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