Ahmad wants to cover a floor measuring 240 cm by 180 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 180: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 30, 36, 45, 60, 90, 180
Factors of 240: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 30, 40, 48, 60, 80, 120, 240
The highest common factor of 180 and 240 is 60.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 60 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 240 ÷ 60
= 4
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 180 ÷ 60
= 3
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 4 x 3
= 12
Answer(s): (a) 60 cm; (b) 12