Maximum Number of Teams

CAT 2022 Slot 3 · Quantitative Ability · Medium · Number Systems

This is a medium Quantitative Ability question from the CAT 2022 Slot 3 paper. It tests Number Systems. The full answer key and a step-by-step explanation are below — try it yourself first, then reveal the solution.

A school has less than 5000 students and if the students are divided equally into teams of either 9 or 10 or 12 or 25 each, exactly 4 are always left out. However, if they are divided into teams of 11 each, no one is left out. The maximum number of teams of 12 each that can be formed out of the students in the school is

Answer

150

Explanation

Let NN be the number of students, N<5000N < 5000.

N4(modLCM(9,10,12,25))N \equiv 4 \pmod{\text{LCM}(9, 10, 12, 25)}. LCM(9,10,12,25)=900\text{LCM}(9, 10, 12, 25) = 900. So N=900k+4N = 900k + 4 for some integer kk.

Also, NN is divisible by 11: 900k+40(mod11)900k + 4 \equiv 0 \pmod{11} 9009(mod11)900 \equiv 9 \pmod{11} 9k+40(mod11)    9k7(mod11)    k2(mod11)9k + 4 \equiv 0 \pmod{11} \implies 9k \equiv 7 \pmod{11} \implies k \equiv 2 \pmod{11}

Possible values of kk: k=2,13,24,k = 2, 13, 24, \dots For k=2k = 2, N=900(2)+4=1804<5000N = 900(2) + 4 = 1804 < 5000. For k=13k = 13, N=900(13)+4=11704>5000N = 900(13) + 4 = 11704 > 5000.

So N=1804N = 1804. Maximum number of teams of 12 each =1804/12=150= \lfloor 1804 / 12 \rfloor = 150.

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