Each student receives the same number of pencils and the same number of notebooks. This year she gave out 96 pencils and 72 notebooks. Which is the greatest number of students that can be in Ms. Thomas’s class this year?

To find the greatest number of students that can be in Ms. Thomas's class this year, we need to find the common factor of 96 and 72 that represents the number of pencils and notebooks each student receives.

First, let's find the factors of 96:
96 can be divided by 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, and 96.

Now, let's find the factors of 72:
72 can be divided by 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 72.

From the list of factors, we can see that the common factors of 96 and 72 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12.

To determine the greatest number of students, we need to choose the greatest common factor of 96 and 72 that represents the number of pencils and notebooks each student receives. In this case, it is 12.

Therefore, the greatest number of students that can be in Ms. Thomas's class this year is 12.

What is the greatest common factor of 96 and 72?