Intermediate Algorithm Scripting - Smallest Common Multiple

Tell us what’s happening:
Describe your issue in detail here.
I have a monstrosity that I made that I spent over 15 hours working on. I tried googling, but I can’t find a way to make an algorithm that accesses the base numbers paired with the largest exponents. I want to figure out how to access the values I need in the object I made. I also commented out an array loop (pause comment) that’s also a viable path for the solution.

  **Your code so far**
function smallestCommons(arr) {

let numArray = [];
let biggestNum = 0;

//build an array with all numbers between each range.
if (arr[0] < arr[1]) {
  for (let i = arr[0]; i <= arr[1]; i++ ) {
    numArray.push(i);
  }
}
else if (arr[0] > arr[1]) {
  for (let i = arr[0]; i >= arr[1]; i--) {
    numArray.push(i);
  }
}
//console.log(numArray); //check

//get the biggest number in the array to prepare for primeNumber Array.
biggestNum = Math.max(...numArray)
//console.log(biggestNum) //check

//make the primeNumber Array up to the biggestNumber
let primeArray = [];
function isPrime(num) {
  for (let i = 2; i <= Math.sqrt(num); i++) {
    if (num % i == 0)
      return false;
  }
  return true;
}
for (let i = 2; i <= biggestNum; i++) {
  if (isPrime(i))
    primeArray.push(i);
}
//console.log(primeArray) //check

//building necessary arrays and extracting useful information into them.
let globalDividend = 0;
let divisorArray = [];
let improvedDivisorArray = [];

for (let i = 0; i < numArray.length; i++) {
  for (let j = 0; j < primeArray.length; j++) {
    divisorPusher(numArray[i], primeArray[j], i);
  }
}
function divisorPusher(dividend, divisor, index) { //function with recursion, so I don't have to do repetitive if else statements
  if (dividend % divisor === 0 && dividend != 1) {
  divisorArray.push(divisor);
  globalDividend = dividend / divisor;
    if (globalDividend != 1) {
      divisorPusher(globalDividend,divisor);
    }
  }  
}
console.log(divisorArray) //check

let counter = 1;
let reInitialize = 0;
for (let i = 0; i < divisorArray.length; i++) { //build exponentArray by adding 1 for every matching element ahead + 1
  if (divisorArray[i] === divisorArray[i + 1]) {
    counter++;
    reInitialize--;
  } else {
    improvedDivisorArray.push(divisorArray.slice((i + reInitialize), (i + reInitialize) + counter))
    counter = 1;
    reInitialize = 0;
  }
}
console.log(improvedDivisorArray)
//console.log(improvedDivisorArray[0][0] == improvedDivisorArray[2][0]) //test
//console.log(improvedDivisorArray[0][1]) //Undefined //test

/*
let uniques = [];
let test = [];
for (let i = 0; i < improvedDivisorArray.length; i++) {
  let value = improvedDivisorArray[i];
  let found = true;
  for (let j = 0; j < uniques.length; j++) {
    test = uniques[j];
    if (value[0] === test[0] && value.length <= test.length) {
      found = false;
      break;
    }
  }
  if (found) {
    uniques.push(value);
  }
}
console.log(uniques)*/ //Pausing this idea.

//Object idea
var divisorObj = Object.assign({},improvedDivisorArray);
console.log(divisorObj); //check
//divisorObj[0] = {"base": divisorObj[0][0], "exponent": divisorObj[0].length}; //test
for (let i = 0; i < improvedDivisorArray.length; i++) {
  divisorObj[i] = {"base": divisorObj[i][0], "exponent": divisorObj[i].length};
}
console.log(divisorObj); //check

const asArray = Object.entries(divisorObj);
const filtered = asArray.filter(([key, value]) => value ==  divisorObj[1]  );
const just2 = Object.fromEntries(filtered);
console.log(just2);

}
console.log(smallestCommons([2, 10]));
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Challenge: Intermediate Algorithm Scripting - Smallest Common Multiple

Link to the challenge:

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘base number paired with the highest exponent’?

Are you trying to do the prime factoring algorithm?

That is a bit tricky to get working.

I honestly think the easiest approach is to look at the algorithms in the Wikipedia articles for LCM and GCD.

Yes.
That’s not the point though, I already have the prime factors working. I just need to reach certain parts of my code that I don’t know how to.

So it sounds like you don’t understand the code that you found?

The prime factoring algorithm is tricky to understand and debug.

The trick to making it work is to keep track of the max number of times each possible prime factor occurrs across all values in the range.

1 Like

On the console output I was able to get a table that has the solution for [2,10]
That is return 2**3 * 3**2 * 5 * 7.
I’m going to look into the getter and setter suggestion, looks promising. I just want to figure out the syntax to reduce my code so that the smaller prime factors are removed.

Getters and Setters would be overkill.

You don’t need fancy object methods… You literally need to keep track of the maximum number of times each prime factor occurs. A basic object can do that.

For example, the LCM of all numbern from 2 to 10 has to have the prime factor 2 to the power of 3 because 8 has the prime factor of 2 to the power of 3.

Then you just multiply all of the powers of all of the primes you find.

If you don’t remember how to loop over numbers, you could loop over the array of all keys

If you get this approach working, I would look at the solutions. There is a prime factoring sample solution that is tidier that what you are writing.

Mod edit - removed solution

After adding in another 5 hours of staring at the screen, I finally cracked the puzzle. I’m going to look at what the hint answer is and I should probably refractor the code. What my take away from this, is that I need to find a way to spend less time on a problem. Maybe it’s worth it just looking at the answer than spending hours solving many small problems until the big problem is solved.

This is worth it.
You got practice in problem solving when struggling with this.

You got bunch of useful feedback in this thread.

Now, as you mentioned, you will take a look at guide solutions and will learn about other approaches.

I am going through similar stuff. First, I was stuck on some GCM problem(not this one) - for half a day or so. Solved it

And this one - from JS curriculum - having such experience I solved it like in 20 minutes.

Continue to practice, do not look up solutions until you solve stuff - you will get better.

1 Like

Cool, practicing the hard way it is.

yeah, when I am desperately stuck by the way - I don’t look up solutions - I am moving on to other problem.
Getting back to stuff where I am stuck from time to time.
Sometimes you just need to switch your brain to some other stuff for some time.

1 Like

Strange, one of my posts got hidden and I didn’t get an explanation. Was it because it’s the solution even though I put a spoiler tag?

1 Like

I was going to ask about this, curious myself.
I did not see any content which should be flagged in mentioned post.

The theory: maybe someone flagged it accidentally.
Sometimes I am ending up accidentally clicking flag button instead of the bookmark button, they are placed right to each other

Hi Jason,

You got it! Yes the flag was made to the moderator team because of the posted solution.

We encourage everyone on the forum to help each other with hints and tips, but not with solutions, as that makes the process of learning not as effective. (When you struggle to complete the exercise, your brain forms new neural pathways that support your future learning. But that does not happen when we simply copy and paste something we found online).

I hope this meets with your understanding.

Getting stuck and working through it is good.

Looking at other people’s solutions after you have one is good for seeing alternatives.

You had a lot of code for a rather fiddly algorithm, which is the reason why I suggested that you use a less fiddly, easier to debug algorithm.

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