The "Smallest Greater Multiple Made of Two Digits" interview question asks you to find the smallest integer greater than a given k that is a multiple of digit1 and digit2. This "Smallest Greater Multiple Made of Two Digits coding problem" is essentially asking for the smallest multiple of the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of the two digits that is strictly greater than k.
PayPal and other fintech companies use this to check for basic algorithmic efficiency and mathematical understanding. It tests if you know how to calculate LCM and how to use it to jump directly to the answer instead of iterating one by one. It's a "MEDIUM" problem because it requires a bit more than just basic math—it requires an optimized approach.
This uses the "Math and LCM interview pattern".
digit1 and digit2. LCM(a, b) = (a * b) / GCD(a, b).k.((k / LCM) + 1) * LCM.Let k = 20, digit1 = 3, digit2 = 4.
LCM(3, 4) = 12.(20 / 12) + 1 = 1 + 1 = 2. 2 * 12 = 24.
Result: 24.The most frequent mistake is iterating from k+1 and checking each number for divisibility. While this works, it is inefficient if the LCM is very large. Another mistake is forgetting that the digits themselves might be 0 (though usually not the case in this problem) or not handling the GCD correctly when calculating LCM.
Always remember the relationship between GCD and LCM. a * b = GCD(a, b) * LCM(a, b). This formula is a building block for many "Smallest Greater Multiple Made of Two Digits interview question" variations.
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|---|---|---|---|
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