The smallest number divisible by 1/20 is 1/20.
Understanding Divisibility
Divisibility means that a number can be divided by another number with no remainder. When we say a number is divisible by another, we're essentially looking for multiples of that number.
The Question Clarified
The question is not completely clear, and could be interpreted as:
- Smallest Positive Number Divisible by a Fraction: What is the smallest positive number (not necessarily an integer) that is divisible by the fraction 1/20?
- Smallest Integer Divisible by a Fraction: What is the smallest integer that when divided by the fraction 1/20 results in an integer?
Let's address both possible interpretations:
Interpretation 1: Smallest Positive Number Divisible by a Fraction
If we consider the smallest positive number divisible by 1/20, it is 1/20 itself. Any multiple of 1/20, like 2(1/20), 3(1/20), etc., is divisible by 1/20, but 1/20 is the smallest positive number. In essence we are looking for the smallest positive multiple of 1/20, which is simply 1*(1/20).
Interpretation 2: Smallest Integer Divisible by a Fraction
When we say an integer, 'x', is divisible by a fraction like 1/20, what we are really asking is that x / (1/20) results in an integer. This is the same as calculating 20 x. We need to find the smallest integer 'x' such that 20x is an integer. This is always achieved when 'x' is equal to 1, because 20 1 = 20 (which is an integer). Therefore, the smallest integer* divisible by 1/20, in this interpretation, is 1. However, the question didn't specify that the required answer had to be an integer.
Reference Information
The provided reference discusses a completely different problem: finding the smallest number divisible by all numbers from 1 to 20, which is 232,792,560. This is the least common multiple (LCM) of numbers 1 through 20. This is not relevant to this question as we are only concerned with one divisor: 1/20.
Conclusion
The smallest number divisible by 1/20 is 1/20 itself.
