Oliver wants to cover a floor measuring 120 cm by 50 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 50: 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50
Factors of 120: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 40, 60, 120
The highest common factor of 50 and 120 is 10.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 10 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 120 ÷ 10
= 12
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 50 ÷ 10
= 5
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 12 x 5
= 60
Answer(s): (a) 10 cm; (b) 60