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A school library has 84 storybooks and 126 puzzle books. They are to be stacked so that every stack holds the same number of books and each stack contains only one kind of book. With the greatest possible stack size, how many books are in a stack and how many stacks are formed?

Class 10Real NumbersNumber Systems
  • A42 books per stack, 5 stacks
  • B42 books per stack, 3 stacks
  • C21 books per stack, 10 stacks
  • D14 books per stack, 15 stacks

Step-by-Step Solution

Greatest stack size = HCF(84, 126). ·3·7 and 126 = 2··7, so HCF = 2·3·7 = 42. Number of stacks = 84/42 + 126/42 = 2 + 3 = 5. Saying "3 stacks" counts only the puzzle books; 21 and 14 are common factors but not the highest.
Answer: A) 42 books per stack, 5 stacks

Key idea: When does a rational number terminate?

**Theorem**: A rational number (in lowest terms) has a terminating decimal expansion if and only if has the form **2ᵐ × 5ⁿ** (m, n ≥ 0).

**Examples**:
- → terminates → terminates → does NOT terminate… recurring.)
- → does NOT terminate (because of the 3).

**Why**: any decimal expansion is a fraction with denominator 10ⁿ = 2ⁿ × 5ⁿ. To convert to decimal form, you need to ONLY have 2s and 5s as primes — otherwise you can't multiply numerator/denominator into a power of 10.

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