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Two bells chiming five and four times a minute

Question

Two bells start chiming at the same instant. One chimes 55 times per minute and the other 44 times per minute, each at evenly spaced intervals. After how long do they next chime at the same moment?

Short answer

After 1 minute. The gaps are 1212 and 1515 seconds, and the first common multiple is lcm⁡(12,15)=60\operatorname{lcm}(12,15)=60 seconds. (If "5 times a minute" counts both ends of the minute, the gaps are 1515 and 2020 seconds, and the answer is still 6060 seconds.)

Adapted from Crack, Heard on the Street, Q1.2, p.9; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.

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