Let 2x, 4x and 6x be the number of apples that goes in small, middle and big bucket.
So total number of apples can be given as
2x + 4x +6x = 48
12x =48
x =4
So each part of group of apples is 4,
So the smallest bucket contains 2*x = 2*4 = 8 apples
Answer: small bucket gets 8 apples.