Final answer:
The least amount of money Alex can spend to have the same number of hamburger buns and patties is $56, by purchasing 5 packages of buns and 3 packages of patties.
Step-by-step explanation:
At a grocery store, a student named Alex wants to buy an equal number of hamburger buns and patties and is looking for the least amount of money he can spend to achieve this. To solve this problem, you can follow these steps:
Alex needs to find the least common multiple (LCM) of 6 and 10. The LCM of 6 and 10 is 30, meaning Alex needs to buy enough packages to have at least 30 of each item.
To find how many packages of buns and patties he needs, Alex will then need to divide the LCM by 6 (for buns) and 10 (for patties). This means he needs 5 packages of buns (= 30/6) and 3 packages of patties (= 30/10).
Finally, he will need to multiply the number of each type of package by its price and add the results. So, for buns: 5 packages × $4/package = $20, and for patties: 3 packages × $12/package = $36. Therefore, the total amount Alex will spend is $20 + $36 = $56.