Harry wants to cover a floor measuring 550 cm by 300 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 300: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 60, 75, 100, 150, 300
Factors of 550: 1, 2, 5, 10, 11, 22, 25, 50, 55, 110, 275, 550
The highest common factor of 300 and 550 is 50.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 50 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 550 ÷ 50
= 11
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 300 ÷ 50
= 6
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 11 x 6
= 66
Answer(s): (a) 50 cm; (b) 66