Answer: 36
Step-by-step explanation:
Given: Sapphire shelves 12 books at a time, whereas Abe shelves 18 at a time.
If they end up shelving the same number of books, what is the smallest number of books each could have shelved = LCM (12,18)
12 = 2 x 2 x 3
18 = 2 x 3 x 3
LCM (12, 18) = 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 = 36
Hence, the smallest number of books each could have shelved = 36
