You purchase disposable plates, cups, and forks for a cookout. Plates are sold in packages of 24, cups in packages of 32, and forks in packages of 48. What are the least numbers of packages you should buy in order to have the same number of plates, cups, and forks?

96 packages

Step-by-step explanation:

We solve for this question using Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) method

Step 1

We list multiples of each number until the first common multiple is found. This is referred to as the lowest common multiple.

From the question , we are told:

Plates are sold in packages of 24

Cups in packages of 32

Forks in packages of 48

Multiples of 24:

24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144

Multiples of 32:

32, 64, 96, 128, 160

Multiples of 48:

48, 96, 144, 192

Therefore,

LCM(24, 32, 48) = 96

Hence, the least numbers of packages you should buy in order to have the same number of plates, cups, and forks is 96 packages