Finding GCF(ladder method):

1. Take your numbers(108 & 144) and line them up with an upside down division symbol

2. Find a number that both your numbers are divisible by(4), then divide both your numbers by the common factor.

3. Continue dividing your resulting numbers by common factors until all your numbers only have a common factor of 1.

4. Multiply the numbers on the left to get your GCF: GCF = 4 x 9 = 36

5. Now you got your GCF!

Finding LCM(ladder method):

1. Take your numbers(108 & 144) and line them up with an upside down division symbol

2. Find a number that both your numbers are divisible by(4), then divide both your numbers by the common factor.

3. Continue dividing your resulting numbers by common factors until all your numbers only have a common factor of 1.

4. Multiply all your outer numbers together to get your GCF: GCF = 4 x 9 x 3 x 4 = 432

5. Now you got your LCM!

Conclusion: I like the method I found better because you don’t need to do prime factorization. I also like it better because you don’t need to put your face against the paper looking for repeated prime factors. The method I found is also less writing because it doesn’t use prime factorization and just factorization.