Since 96 and 36 are both divisible by 2, then:
[tex]96+36=2(48+18)[/tex]Since both 48 and 18 are divisible by 2, then:
[tex]2(48+18)=2\cdot2(24+9)=4(24+9)[/tex]Since both 24 and 9 are divisible by 3, then:
[tex]4(24+9)=4\cdot3(8+3)=12(8+3)[/tex]Solve for 12(8+3):
[tex]12(8+3)=12(11)=132[/tex]The greatest common factor of 96 and 36 was 12.