A bus stops at every third corner. Another bus stops at every eighth corner. If both buses start at the same place how many blocks from the starting point will both buses stop?
EXPLAIN
2007-04-28 16:46:27 · 2 answers · asked by J B 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
You need to find the least common multiple (LCM) of 3 and 8.
multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, . . .
multiples of 8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, . . .
The first place they coincide is at 24.
goodluck!
2007-04-28 16:53:19 · answer #1 · answered by birdwoman1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They stop together when the product of their stop intervals are equal.
Let's say bus A stops at 3 block intervals. Then after x stops, it has gone 3x blocks. Bus B stops at 8 block intervals. So, after y stops, it has gone 8y blocks. When 3x = 8y, then they have traveled equal numbers of blocks and stop simultaneously. This occurs only when the products of their stop intervals are equal, or when 3(8) = 8(3) = 24 blocks, or when 3x = 8y are multiples of 24.
2007-04-28 23:51:45 · answer #2 · answered by MathBioMajor 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋