Riordan wants to cover a floor measuring 130 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 130: 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 26, 65, 130
The highest common factor of 50 and 130 is 10.
Largest possible length of the side of each tile = 10 cm
(b)
Number of tiles arranged lengthwise
= 130 ÷ 10
= 13
Number of tiles arranged breadthwise
= 50 ÷ 10
= 5
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 13 x 5
= 65
Answer(s): (a) 10 cm; (b) 65