Reggie wants to cover a floor measuring 600 cm by 350 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 350: 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 14, 25, 35, 50, 70, 175, 350
Factors of 600: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 100, 120, 150, 200, 300, 600
The highest common factor of 350 and 600 is 50.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 50 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 600 ÷ 50
= 12
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 350 ÷ 50
= 7
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 12 x 7
= 84
Answer(s): (a) 50 cm; (b) 84