Euclid's Algorithm for the Greatest Common Divisor

Jerry Lodder; David Pengelley; Desh Ranjan

Euclid's Algorithm for the Greatest Common Divisor

Authors

Jerry Lodder New Mexico State University
David Pengelley New Mexico State University
Desh Ranjan Old Dominion University

Keywords:

Euclid, Euclidean algorithm, greatest common divisor, Primary Source Projects

Abstract

More than two millennia ago Euclid (circa 300 BCE) described a method for computing the "greatest common measure" of two "numbers", and today we name our modern iterative algorithm for calculating the greatest common divisor of two numbers after him. Here we introduce and provide for instructors a student project based on Euclid's original source, designed for a course in introductory discrete mathematics or computer science.

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Published

2025-12-29

How to Cite

Lodder, J., Pengelley, D., & Ranjan, D. (2025). Euclid’s Algorithm for the Greatest Common Divisor. Annals of the TRIUMPHS Society, 1(2). Retrieved from https://triumphsannals.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/triumphsannals/article/view/16873