LCM in Calligra Sheets: Find a Shared Cycle

=LCM(value1; value2; ...)

At least one argument is accepted by the source registration, even though the handbook presents two or more. There is no default argument. Numeric ranges are accepted. A single positive integer such as =LCM(6) is its own least common multiple. Keep every input in the same unit: minutes cannot be mixed with seconds without conversion.

LCM is the least common multiple, not the greatest common divisor. For 6 and 8 the LCM is 24, while the common divisor is 2. The result measures a shared cycle, not how many cycles have occurred.

Enter these cells:

1. In B6 enter =LCM(B2:B4).
2. Independently expected B6 is 24 minutes.
3. In C2 enter =$B$6/B2 and fill down to C4. Expected counts are 4, 3 and 2 cycles.
4. Confirm that each count is an integer: 4×6, 3×8 and 2×12 all equal 24.

This model assumes all jobs start at the same time and repeat without drift. LCM alone does not solve staggered starts or variable-duration tasks.

Suppose the actual intervals are 1.5 and 2.25 minutes. Convert to a common integer unit first: 90 seconds and 135 seconds. =LCM(90;135) has the mathematical result 270 seconds, or 4.5 minutes after dividing by 60.

This is a unit-conversion method with integer inputs, not a claim that Calligra’s decimal LCM call behaves like rational-number LCM. Choose a unit in which the source intervals are exact integers. Rounding noisy measurements to whole seconds changes the model and must be an intentional policy.

Do not infer that the range helper validates negatives or text identically to scalar arguments; it follows a separate path. Large products are calculated numerically and are not an arbitrary-precision guarantee. Use small validated integer periods for scheduling examples.

Calligra’s registry also names COM.SUN.STAR.SHEET.ADDIN.ANALYSIS.GETLCM as an alternate for this same function. An alias registration does not prove complete cross-application file compatibility.

See KDE GCD for a common divisor and Calligra ROUND for decimal rounding. Neither substitutes for choosing a consistent unit before calculating periodic coincidences.

Checked October 18, 2026. Original introduction date is unknown. The function is registered in Calligra 26.08.2 source; the relevant mathematics, statistical and information-function source plus numeric engine/converter files are byte-identical in the separately retrieved 25.04.2 source. This establishes source availability in both releases, not an introduction date. Native tests used Calligra Sheets 25.04.2 on Linux, October 18, 2026. The tables below record formulas recalculated in that application and read from its completed saved ODS workbook. Source inspection of 26.08.2 is separate; no native 26.08.2 run is claimed.

Primary references: KDE LCM handbook, 26.08.2 function implementation, numeric calculation engine and numeric converter. The handbook is an unversioned living page; the source links identify the inspected release. The native table identifies the exact cases with confirmed application error labels; other source-derived cases are not claimed as runtime tests.

The following formulas were recalculated in the actual Linux application on October 18, 2026. Results were checked in the completed native-saved workbook. The screenshot is an unmodified application capture; it is not a simulated worksheet. The model examples above are independent mathematical explanations, and only the formulas below are claimed as executed tests.

Native K2:K4 contains 6, 8, 12; K6:K8 contains 6, 0, 8. The fractional result 2 confirms the source behavior and disagrees with the handbook’s 4.5 example in this tested release.

These observations are specific to the tested release, settings and inputs. They do not establish all coercions, precision limits or cross-application import behavior.