Warren wants to cover a floor measuring 130 cm by 60 cm with square tiles of the same size. Given that he uses only whole tiles, find
- the largest possible length of the side of each tile.
- the number of tiles that are needed to cover the floor.
(a)
Factors of 60: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, 60
Factors of 130: 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 26, 65, 130
The highest common factor of 60 and 130 is 10.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 10 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 130 ÷ 10
= 13
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 60 ÷ 10
= 6
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 13 x 6
= 78
Answer(s): (a) 10 cm; (b) 78