Manhattan DS

saurabh_1922@yahoo.co.in · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject: Manhattan DS

A number of apples and oranges are to be distributed evenly among a number of baskets. Each basket will contain at least one of each type of fruit. If there are 20 oranges to be distributed, what is the minimum number of apples needed so that every basket contains less than twice as many apples as oranges?

(1) If the number of baskets were halved and all other conditions remained the same, there would be twice as many oranges in every remaining basket.

(2) If the number of oranges were halved, it would no longer be possible to place an orange in every basket.

jay2007 · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:29 pm Post subject:

20 oranges have to be equally distributed. So, number of possible baskets will be a factor of 20. Factors of 20 - 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20.

1) Statement 1 says, if the number of baskets (n say) is halved there will be twice as many oranges
in each basket. This means n has to be a multiple of 2. Possible values of n are 2, 4, 10 and 20.

2) If the number of oranges are halved, it would no longer be possible to place an orange in every basket,
This means, n > 10. The only possible value of n>10 is 20. Therefore minimum number of apples, which is 2 in each basket can be found out.

Please correct me if i am wrong

jay2007 · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject:

Forgot to explicitly mention the answer. It is B.

saurabh_1922@yahoo.co.in · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:51 pm Post subject:

correct

persevering · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject: the meaning of the phrase

less than twice as many apples as oranges

What does the phrase above mean ?

I agree that the answer is B