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

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