Question

John has 12 red pencils and 15 blue pencils. He wants to bundle them into groups of the same size, with no pencils left over. What is the largest number of pencils that can be in each bundle?

• A. 1
• B. 3
• C. 5
• D. 6

Hint:

Use the GCD method to find the largest equal grouping without remainder in problems involving division of two quantities.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

John has 12 red and 15 blue pencils and wants to divide them into bundles such that each bundle has the same number of pencils with no pencils left over. We need to find the largest bundle size possible.
Step 1: Understand the problem
The problem is essentially about finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 12 and 15 because the GCD represents the largest number that divides both numbers exactly.
Step 2: Find factors
Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
Factors of 15: 1, 3, 5, 15
Step 3: Find common factors
Common factors: 1, 3
Greatest common factor = 3
Step 4: Conclusion
Therefore, the largest number of pencils in each bundle is 3.