The number of boxes in a warehouse can be divided evenly into 6 equal shipments by boat or 27 equal shipments by truck. What is the smallest number of boxes that could be in the warehouse?
A. 27
B. 33
C. 54
D. 81
E. 162
The OA is C.
I don't have clear this PS question. I appreciate if any expert explains it to me. Thank you so much.
The number of boxes in a warehouse can be divided evenly...
This topic has expert replies
GMAT/MBA Expert
- [email protected]
- Elite Legendary Member
- Posts: 10392
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Thanked: 2867 times
- Followed by:511 members
- GMAT Score:800
Hi AAPL,
We're told that the number of boxes in a warehouse can be divided evenly into 6 equal shipments by boat or 27 equal shipments by truck. We're asked for the SMALLEST number of boxes that could be in the warehouse. This question can be solved in a couple of different ways, including by TESTing THE ANSWERS.
We're ultimately looking for the SMALLEST answer that is a MULTIPLE of both 6 and 27. To be a multiple of 6, the number MUST be EVEN, so we can bypass Answers A and B completely (since they're both ODD).
Is 54 a multiple of 6? Yes - you can either do the simple division (54/6 = 9) or you can prime factor 54 and see that the prime factors of 6 (re: one 2 and one 3) are both factors.
Is 54 a multiple of 27? Yes - again, you can either do the simple division (54/27 = 2) or you can prime factor 54 and see that the prime factors of 27 (re: three 3s) are factors.
Final Answer: C
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
We're told that the number of boxes in a warehouse can be divided evenly into 6 equal shipments by boat or 27 equal shipments by truck. We're asked for the SMALLEST number of boxes that could be in the warehouse. This question can be solved in a couple of different ways, including by TESTing THE ANSWERS.
We're ultimately looking for the SMALLEST answer that is a MULTIPLE of both 6 and 27. To be a multiple of 6, the number MUST be EVEN, so we can bypass Answers A and B completely (since they're both ODD).
Is 54 a multiple of 6? Yes - you can either do the simple division (54/6 = 9) or you can prime factor 54 and see that the prime factors of 6 (re: one 2 and one 3) are both factors.
Is 54 a multiple of 27? Yes - again, you can either do the simple division (54/27 = 2) or you can prime factor 54 and see that the prime factors of 27 (re: three 3s) are factors.
Final Answer: C
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
GMAT/MBA Expert
- Scott@TargetTestPrep
- GMAT Instructor
- Posts: 7261
- Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 am
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Thanked: 43 times
- Followed by:29 members
AAPL wrote:The number of boxes in a warehouse can be divided evenly into 6 equal shipments by boat or 27 equal shipments by truck. What is the smallest number of boxes that could be in the warehouse?
A. 27
B. 33
C. 54
D. 81
E. 162
The OA is C.
To solve, we just need to determine the least common multiple of 6 and 27, which is 54.
Answer: C
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]
See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews