Final answer:
By dividing the total number of pens by the number of pens per box, we find that 6 boxes are needed to contain 144 pens, when each box contains 24 pens.
Step-by-step explanation:
If there are 48 pens in 2 boxes, with each box containing the same number of pens, we can first find out how many pens are in a single box.
To do this, we divide the total number of pens by the number of boxes:
48 pens ÷ 2 boxes = 24 pens per box.
Now, if we want to find the number of boxes needed to contain a total of 144 pens, where each box contains 24 pens, we use the following division:
144 pens ÷ 24 pens per box = 6 boxes.
Therefore, 6 boxes are needed to contain a total of 144 pens, assuming each box contains the same number of pens.