🚀 Day 40/150 – Find HCF of Two Numbers in Python

 

🚀 Day 40/150 – Find HCF of Two Numbers in Python

HCF (Highest Common Factor) is the greatest number that divides two numbers exactly.

Examples:
HCF of 12 and 18 = 6
HCF of 20 and 30 = 10

It is also called GCD (Greatest Common Divisor).

Let’s explore different ways to find HCF in Python 👇

🔹 Method 1 – Using for Loop

a = 12 b = 18 hcf = 1 for i in range(1, min(a, b) + 1): if a % i == 0 and b % i == 0: hcf = i print("HCF:", hcf)

✅ Simple beginner-friendly method.

🔹 Method 2 – Taking User Input

a = int(input("Enter first number: "))
b = int(input("Enter second number: "))
hcf = 1

for i in range(1, min(a, b) + 1):
    if a % i == 0 and b % i == 0:
        hcf = i

print("HCF:", hcf)

✅ Useful for dynamic programs.

🔹 Method 3 – Using Euclidean Algorithm

a = 12 b = 18 while b != 0: a, b = b, a % b print("HCF:", a)

✅ Fastest and most efficient method.

🔹 Method 4 – Using Function

def hcf(a, b):
    while b != 0:
        a, b = b, a % b
    return a

print(hcf(12, 18))

✅ Clean and reusable.

🎯 Output

HCF: 6

---

🔑 Key Takeaways

• HCF = greatest common divisor of two numbers.
• Use % to check common factors.
• Euclidean algorithm is fastest.
• math.gcd() is built-in shortcut.