Question

At a store, markers are sold in packages of 12 and pens are sold in packages of 8. What is the least amount of markers and pens Rick needs to buy to have an equal number of markers and pens?

Answer 1

Given:

Markers are sold in packages of 12 and pens are sold in packages of 8.

To find:

Least amount of markers and pens Rick needs to buy to have an equal number of markers and pens

Solution:

To find the least amount of markers and pens, we need to find the LCM of 12 and 8.

Prime factors of 8 and 12 are

$8=2\times 2\times 2$

$12=2\times 2\times 3$

To find the LCM, multiply all factors but the common factors are included only once.

$LCM(8,12)=2\times 2\times 2\times 3$

$LCM(8,12)=24$

Therefore, the least amount of markers and pens Rick needs to buy to have an equal number of markers and pens is 24.