A teacher has 36 pencils and 48 erasers. What is the maximum number of students

A teacher has 36 pencils and 48 erasers. What is the maximum number of students that can receive the same number of pencils and erasers? (2023)

A teacher has 36 pencils and 48 erasers. What is the maximum number of students that can receive the same number of pencils and erasers? (2023)

Step 1: Identify the total number of pencils, which is 36.
Step 2: Identify the total number of erasers, which is 48.
Step 3: To find out how many students can receive the same number of pencils and erasers, we need to find the highest common factor (HCF) of 36 and 48.
Step 4: List the factors of 36: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36.
Step 5: List the factors of 48: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 48.
Step 6: Identify the common factors from both lists: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12.
Step 7: The highest common factor (HCF) is the largest number in the common factors list, which is 12.
Step 8: Therefore, the maximum number of students that can receive the same number of pencils and erasers is 12.

Highest Common Factor (HCF) – The HCF is the largest number that divides two or more numbers without leaving a remainder, which in this case helps determine how many students can receive equal amounts of pencils and erasers.
Division of Resources – Understanding how to evenly distribute resources (pencils and erasers) among a group of individuals (students) based on the HCF.