Nanyang Pri Sch P6 CA1 2008 Math Q40

A slice of cake costs $m. Yi Ling bought n such slices of cake. Find the smallest possible sum of m and n if Yi ling paid a total of $24.

Solution

1 slice ----- $m
n slices ----- $m x n = $24
m x n = 24

Factors of 24 ----- Sum of factors
24 x 2 = 24 ----- 24 + 1 = 25
12 x 2 = 24 ----- 12 + 2 = 14
8 x 3 = 24 ----- 8 + 3 = 11
6 x 4 = 24 ----- 4 + 6 = 10

Answer: The smallest possible sum of m and n is 10.