Tommy wants to cover a floor measuring 550 cm by 500 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 500: 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 125, 250, 500
Factors of 550: 1, 2, 5, 10, 11, 22, 25, 50, 55, 110, 275, 550
The highest common factor of 500 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
= 500 ÷ 50
= 10
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 11 x 10
= 110
Answer(s): (a) 50 cm; (b) 110