help pls!!!

[swapna.rajanish7]

A wire is cut into 3 equal parts. The resulting segments are then cut into 4,6 and 8 equal parts respectively. If each of the resulting segments has an inner length, what is the minimum length of the wire?

24
36
48
54
72

ans: e. Can some one explain??

[jkandas]

There could be a better approach for this...but at the first glance, I figured this will be tedious algebraically...so I started picking numbers...started from the middle...

48 - divided by 3 yields 16...but that is not divisible by 4, 6 and 8...
quickly going through the rest...only 72 gives the proper result

72/3 -> 24, which is then divisible by 4, 6 and 8...

[Ben Ku]

Please cite the source (author) of this problem. We cannot reply unless a source is cited (and, if no source is cited, we will have to delete the post!). Thanks.

[michael_shaunn]

The question says that the wire was divided into three equal parts which in turn were divided into 4,6 and 8 parts respectively.
Now,can i say that each part after first division(after the original wire was cut) is divisible by 4,6 and 8.
Therefore to find the minimum length of the original wire...we have to find the minimum length of each equal part(after the original wire was cut) such that it is divisible by 4,6 and 8.....which is nothing but the l.c.m of 4,6 and 8.....whicih is 24.
So the minimum original length of the wire is 24*3=72.
Thanks.

[dinesh19aug]

The question says that the wire was divided into three equal parts which in turn were divided into 4,6 and 8 parts respectively.
Now,can i say that each part after first division(after the original wire was cut) is divisible by 4,6 and 8.
Therefore to find the minimum length of the original wire...we have to find the minimum length of each equal part(after the original wire was cut) such that it is divisible by 4,6 and 8.....which is nothing but the l.c.m of 4,6 and 8.....whicih is 24.
So the minimum original length of the wire is 24*3=72.
Thanks.

The problem with this approach is 48 is also divisible by 48. and as we can see 6 is not a divisor of 16(one of the 3 equal part of 48).