Final answer:
Maria's error was that she identified 60 as the least common multiple of 6 and 15 instead of the correct LCM, which is 30.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked why Maria's identified least common multiple (LCM) of 6 and 15 is incorrect when she stated it as 60. Maria made an error in finding the LCM of 6 and 15, since she mistakenly identified 60 as the LCM instead of the correct LCM, which is 30.
To find the LCM of 6 and 15, one should list out the multiples of both numbers and identify the smallest number that appears in both lists. From Maria's list:
- Multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60
- Multiples of 15: 15, 30, 45, 60
It can be seen that 30 is the first common multiple that appears in both lists, making it the least common multiple of 6 and 15. Therefore, Maria's error was identifying 60 as the LCM when, in fact, it should be 30.