Nadia sorted 108 red buttons and 144 blue buttons into storage boxes for a craft project. She used every button and made the greatest possible number of boxes. Each box had the same number of red buttons, the same number of blue buttons and the same total number of buttons. How many red buttons were in each box?
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 6
Need a hint?
Find the largest number that divides both 108 and 144. This will be the number of boxes.
Worked answer
- Find the greatest number that divides both 108 and 144: it is 36.
- Number of boxes = 36.
- Red buttons in each box = 108 ÷ 36 = 3.
Answer: 3 buttons
The mistake this question tests
Habit
Factors and multiples (HCF, LCM)
Using only 2 as the common factor gives 54 boxes and then 2 red buttons in each box. The greatest common factor must be used to make the greatest possible number of boxes.
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