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