Henry wants to cover a floor measuring 150 cm by 80 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 80: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 40, 80
Factors of 150: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, 25, 30, 50, 75, 150
The highest common factor of 80 and 150 is 10.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 10 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 150 ÷ 10
= 15
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 80 ÷ 10
= 8
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 15 x 8
= 120
Answer(s): (a) 10 cm; (b) 120