Question

Tom, Sam and Matt are counting drum beats.

Tom hits a snare drum every 2 beats.
Sam hits a kettle drum every 5 beats.
Matt hits a bass drum every 8 beats.

Tom, Sam and Matt start by hitting their drums at the same time. How many beats is it before Tom, Sam and Matt next hit their drums at the same time?

Answer 1

Answer:
`40\ beats`

Explanation:

Knowing the information provided in the exercise, you need to find the Least Common Multiple (L.C.M) in order to solve it.

You can follow these steps:

1- You must descompose 2, 5 and 8 into their prime factors:

`2=2\\5=5\\8=2*2*2=2^3`

2- And finally, you must multiply the commons and non commons with the highest exponent:

`L.C.M=2^3*5=40`

Therefore, the answer is:
`40\ beats`