Question

Two pans of pasta, same size, one sliced into 6 pieces, one into 8. How can the pans of pasta now be sliced so all pieces in both have same amount?

Answer 1

To equalize the pasta portions, calculate the least common multiple of the two pan slices, which is 24. Slice the 6-piece pan into 4 parts each and the 8-piece pan into 3 parts each, resulting in 24 equal pieces in both pans.

Step-by-step explanation:

To ensure each piece of pasta from both pans is equal in amount, we need to find the least common multiple (LCM) of the number of slices in each pan, which are 6 and 8.

Step by step, we list the multiples of each number:

• Multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, ...
• Multiples of 8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, ...

The smallest common multiple is 24, so we need to slice each pan into 24 equal pieces.

This means:

• The pan with 6 slices will need each slice to be cut into 4 equal parts (6 x 4 = 24).
• The pan with 8 slices will need each slice to be cut into 3 equal parts (8 x 3 = 24).

Both pans will now be portioned into 24 pieces, ensuring each piece across both pans is equal.