Vaidev wants to cover a floor measuring 550 cm by 450 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 450: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 18, 25, 30, 45, 50, 75, 90, 150, 225, 450
Factors of 550: 1, 2, 5, 10, 11, 22, 25, 50, 55, 110, 275, 550
The highest common factor of 450 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
= 450 ÷ 50
= 9
Number of tiles to cover the floor
= 11 x 9
= 99
Answer(s): (a) 50 cm; (b) 99
