Math problem using cups..

Question

I have the following question:

Mike has 58 white cups and 198 green cups. He wants to place his cups in stacks by color so there are the same number in each stack and same color.

What is the greatest number of cups he can place in each stack?

How would I answer this guys?

@CameronBuie so there should be 20 white and 20 green cups in each stack is what I mean. That's just an example same number or cups and same number of same color. — MethodManX, May 30 '13 at 05:03

Cameron Buie · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-30T05:37:38.433

2

Edit: It seems that you want a given stack to consist of only one color of cup, and for each stack to have the same number of cups. (This is a slightly more interesting problem, now.) We have to divide all the white cups up evenly and make the stack size as big as possible, so the stack size needs to be as large a divisor of $58$ as we can manage. Likewise, the stack size needs to be as large a divisor of $198$ as we can manage. Thus, the stack size needs to be the greatest common divisor of $58$ and $198$--that is, $2$.

edited May 30 '13 at 05:37

answered May 30 '13 at 04:58

Cameron Buie

102,994

how did you get it? – MethodManX May 30 '13 at 04:59
@ Cameron the answer should be 28 if I have 56 white cups and 196 green cups. Do you get how this answer came about? – MethodManX May 30 '13 at 05:32
@MethodManX: Ah! I see what you mean now. This is because $28$ is the greatest common divisor of $56$ and $196$. See my updated answer. – Cameron Buie May 30 '13 at 05:38

Math problem using cups..

1 Answers1