Question

Miriam's uncle donated 120 cans of juice and 88 packs of cheese crackers what is the maximum amou t of students that can come to a school picnic

Answer 1

To solve the problem, you have to assume that each student shall receive the same number of cans of juice and the same number of packs of crackers.

Then, you need to find the greatest number that can divide both number of articles, 120 and 88. This is, you have to find the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) of 120 and 88.

To find the GCF you need to express each number as a producto of prime numbers. This is:

120 =2^3*3*5
88 = 2^3 * 11

Now, the GCF is the product of the common factors raised to the lower exponent. This is: 2^3 = 8.

Then you can invite 8 students, and each will receive 120/8 = 15 cans of juice and 88/8 = 11 packs of crackers.