Ask A Scientist Mathematics Archive

Author:      tim coklas
What does relatively prime mean?

Response #:  1 of 2
Author:      tee
Two positive integers are "relatively prime" if their prime factorizations
have no common prime factors.  For example, if you "reduce a rational
fraction to its lowest terms" (there is probably some modern language for
this) then the numerator and denominator must be relatively prime.  I
believe that 1 is considered to be relatively prime to all the positive
integers including itself (since it has no prime factors).

Response #:  2 of 2
Author:      jeffrey p fergin
Two positive integers are said to be "relatively prime" if the only number
that divides both of them evenly is 1.